The Way We Are Part One
by Nvrmore
Summary: Marauders Era Four boys, with very different backgrounds, meet on a scarlet steam engine and start a whole new chapter in their lives. Out from under the protection, and in one case tyranny, of their parents, who will they become? Not DH compliant
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer - Is it really necessary? Well, okay. Since it's the first chapter of the story - No, I'm not J.K. Rowlings. No, I do not own anything Harry Potter. No, I'm not making any money. I'm just playing in someone else's sandbox.

Book Two

The Way We Are

Chapter 1

"No way!" laughed Sirius. "You named your owl after the Montrose Magpies?"

"Yeah," James blushed. "They're a great team."

Sirius continued laughing, "Okay. If you say so."

"Well, what team do you like?"

"The Harpies," Sirius said with a wink and a smile. Remus chuckled.

"Why the Harpies?" Peter asked.

Remus chimed in, "All female team."

"Oooh." Peter said. James and Sirius burst out laughing again.

There was a tap on the compartment door and it slid open. The witch who pushed the tea trolley asked if anyone wanted anything. Everyone but Remus bought a handful of items and the conversation shifted briefly to the Wizard Cards from the chocolate frogs.

Peter said proudly, "I have almost all of the cards."

"No doubt," Sirius muttered. "Go figure… Slytherin," and he held up the card to show the others. He opened the window and chucked it out, then closed the window and returned to his seat. The other boys were grinning.

"So," James said, still smiling, "No Slytherins in this compartment."

"Mmm," was the only response he received. Sirius was still worried about that little detail and he sank into a sullen mood.

Some time later, there was, again, a knock on their compartment door. The prefect from earlier popped her head in. "Time to change into your school robes. We'll be there in a minute. Leave your trunks. They will be taken to your dorms for you." As the boys changed, they could feel the train slowing and then stop.

They exited the train and the biggest man they had ever seen was calling the first years to him. "First years. Over 'ere." The giant of a man waited for the students to gather in front of him. "All right then. Is that everyone? My name's Hagrid. I'm Keeper of the Keys an' Grounds at Hogwarts. Follow me. We'll be takin' these 'ere boats to the castle. No more 'en four to a boat."

The four boys quickly piled into one boat. Remus had to grab Peter to prevent him from toppling overboard. The boats rowed themselves across the lake. When the castle came into view for the first time, there was a collective gasp among the students and hushed chattering broke out. The large castle was a sight to behold with its lit windows glittering in the settling darkness. Its many towers looked quite imposing standing atop the cliff, like a knight in full armor, standing guard over the lake. Even though Remus had been to the castle before, he had not approached it from the water, and it had been day. His breath, too, caught when he saw his new home.

Once they landed on shore, all of the first-years traveled up a path to the front of the castle and entered into the huge entrance hall. James looked in all directions, trying to take in as much as possible. The things that caught his eye were the four hourglasses in one corner of the hall, each with the name of one of the school houses above it. The students were led into a small room off to the side. Well, smaller room. It was here that Hagrid left them with a much smaller, stern-looking witch who was standing quite still, waiting for the students to settle.

"My name is Professor McGonagall. I am the Transfiguration teacher here at Hogwarts. You are about to be sorted into your houses. These houses are your home away from home. And the other students, with whom you share this home, are your family. Your actions will have repercussions on the other members of your house. You will earn points for your house by doing something praiseworthy. Some of you," she looked warningly around at the students, "will lose points for your house. At the end of the year, the house points are tallied and the house with the most points wins the House Cup. This is a tradition that goes back…"

Suddenly, someone sneezed. Then again. All eyes turned to look at the cause of the disruption – a handsome, black-haired boy. Sirius pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose - loudly. The sound reverberated through the room. Professor McGonagall narrowed her eyes at the impetuous boy.

"Sorry," Sirius said to the room at large. He held up his hand in apology. "Sorry," he directed at Professor McGonagall.

"Yes, well…" she seemed to have lost track of what she was saying. "I will return when we are ready for you."

James was eyeing Sirius, a smirk on his face. Sirius shrugged, "What can I say? I'm hungry." Remus gave a snort of laughter while simultaneously shaking his head disapprovingly.

A minute later, McGonagall returned and led the students to the Great Hall. The first-years filed down the middle path between four large dining tables. Each table belonged to a separate house. The older students were already seated and were waiting eagerly for the sorting. The first-years were more terrified than eager as they waited for The Sorting Ceremony to begin. It was one of the best guarded secrets in the wizarding world – how does the sorting take place? Despite having parents and siblings that attend Hogwarts, even most wizard children didn't know what to expect.

On a stool in front of the high table, sat a tall wizard's hat. It looked frayed and shabby and appeared to have been patched in places. To the astonishment of most of the first-years, one of the folds toward the base of the hat opened and the hat began to sing.

In long forgotten days of old,  
Four witches and wizards stood proud and bold.  
Taking the future under their wing,  
They agreed teaching should begin.  
But each one had his or her own style.  
And students that came from many a-mile  
To learn and grow, and be taught,  
But be sorted, how? They knew not.  
Then Gryffindor, with brains aplenty,  
Spared some for this hat, once empty.  
Now I do the sorting, it is true  
By standards tested through and through.  
Now Gryffindor is bold and brave.  
Courage and loyalty, the day may save.  
Slytherin make friends with a common goal  
And serve their purposes, on the whole.  
Ravenclaw is intelligent and cunning.  
Great minds all, are you in the running?  
Hufflepuff is kind and true.  
They'll work hard to see you through.  
So to which house will you be privy?  
Try me on. You'll find I'm not so silly.

The hall erupted into applause when the song was done. The stern Professor McGonagall instructed, "You will form a single line. When I call your name, step forward, take a seat on the stool, and place the Sorting Hat on your head."

Sirius didn't have long to wait as the names were listed alphabetically. "Black, Sirius," McGonagall called.

Sirius stepped forward, feeling a bit nervous. He placed the hat on his head and it slid down, covering his eyes. He was grateful, because he was squeezing them shut in terrified anticipation. _Just not Slytherin_, he thought.

"Oh no. Definitely not a Slytherin," the hat said. "You are very talented, I see. Yes… clever. But you have courage, too." All of this was said only to Sirius. Then the hat spoke to the hall, "Gryffindor!"

With an ecstatic whoop, Sirius flung the hat into the air in celebration. The students had been stunned into silence at the declaration of a Black being placed in a house other than Slytherin, let alone being put in Gryffindor. When the hat went flying into the air, the silence was broken by gasps at the audacity of someone chucking the Sorting Hat.

Even Professor McGonagall was too stunned to chastise him. She glanced at the Headmaster and noted his amusement. Somehow, she was not surprised. He found the oddest things humorous.

Fortunately for Sirius, he caught the hat and set it back on the stool, apparently oblivious to the reactions of those around him. The first person to applaud this appointment was, actually, another Black – Andromeda Black, who happened to be the only other Black in recent history to be sorted outside Slytherin. Sirius ran, grinning, from the front of the hall and high-fived James on his way to the Gryffindor table. The applause spread from there and the Gryffindors enthusiastically greeted their newest house member.

Sirius watched the rest of the sorting intently. He could almost predict who was going to be in Slytherin, but, then again, he knew most of those students' families. It was not as easy to tell with the other houses.

"Evans, Lily." Sirius watched a very studious looking redhead approach the stool. If he were to guess, he would have said she was a Ravenclaw.

James was also watching this redhead with interest. She was very attractive.

"Gryffindor!" Lily hopped from the stool and smiled as she made her way to the Gryffindor table.

James smiled. They'd be in the same house. _Excellent_!

Remus watched all of this with interest. He wondered if the students had any say into which house they were placed. He knew he was smart enough to be in Ravenclaw, but Sirius, one of the three other students he knew, had been placed in Gryffindor, and James had been pretty confident that he would be in Gryffindor as well.

"Lupin, Remus."

Remus approached the stool and placed the hat on his head. "Interesting." the hat said to him. "A great mind. Great mind, indeed. You would find challenges and equals in Ravenclaw…"

_Gryffindor, please_, Remus thought, politely making his request. He wasn't sure if his desire mattered at all, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

"Gryffindor, you say. Friends already there… Challenges of a different kind. You certainly have the bravery. Very well," and "Gryffindor!" the hat announced.

_Thank you_, Remus thought. He took off the hat and very respectfully placed in on the stool. He looked up at the high table. Professor Dumbledore gave a nod of approval. Remus smiled and headed to the table, taking a seat next to Sirius. The other Gryffindors applauded and welcomed him to their house.

Sirius clapped him on the back, "Well done, mate." Remus beamed even more. He had friends.

Several more names were called and then, "Pettigrew, Peter."

The round-faced boy was so nervous he almost fell off the stool when he tried to sit down. A quiet chuckle went through the hall when Peter visibly jumped, presumably when the hat started speaking to him.

"Now here is a tricky mind. Slytherin would take you where you want to go, but you have bravery of a sort and much potential that lies beneath the surface…" The hat remained silent for a time. It was as if it was deliberating with itself. Finally after nearly a minute, it announced, "Gryffindor!"

Peter jumped off the stool, nearly toppling it over. He placed the hat back on its perch and speed-walked to the Gryffindor table. He sat down opposite Sirius and Remus. Both greeted him with a smile and an enthusiastic handshake. He received pats on the back from other members of the house including Lily, which caused him to blush furiously.

"Potter, James." Sirius stilled as he watched intently.

James made his way up to the stool. He barely had time to put the hat on his head when it shouted, "Gryffindor!"

Sirius let out another whoop and the four boys laughed when James joined them at the table.

"I told you I'd be a Gryffindor," James said proudly.

The other first-year Gryffindor boy introduced himself, "Addison Frobisher."

"James Potter," he said and shook the boy's hand.

A few names down the list, they heard, "Snape, Severus."

The greasy-haired, hooked nose boy from the train stepped forward to take his place on the stool.

"Severus?" James whispered and snorted. The four boys looked at each other and, in unison with the hat said, "Slytherin!" They burst out laughing again as Snape joined the Slytherin table. The applause was much more subdued, as few students outside the house of Slytherin applauded anyone entering that particular house.

When the sorting was done, Professor McGonagall removed the hat and stool and took her seat at the high table. At this point, Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome, welcome, to a new year at Hogwarts. Just a few words before beginning the feast – Poppycock and fluffernutter." He gave a satisfied sort of nod, then pointed with his wand. With a slight jabbing motion, the tables filled with food. "Tuck in," he said and the start of term feast began.

The confused expressions on the boys' faces at Dumbledore's words were replaced with wide-eyed delight at the banquet set before them. They ate until they could eat no more. After the long, excitement-filled day, feeling well fed and comfortable, drowsiness became the pervading feeling at the tables.

Dumbledore stood up once more to speak. "Before I lose you to those visions of the night, I have a few start-of-term announcements. The forbidden forest is off-limits to all students. We have a new tree on the grounds this year. It is a Whomping Willow. I strongly suggest caution be used when in its vicinity. It has a surprisingly long reach. Also, Mr. Filch has announced new additions to the Forbidden Items list. You may view this list as it is posted on his office door. To bed!" he commanded and the Prefects immediately rose from their seats.

"Follow me, first-years. And pay close attention. The stairs like to shift, so it's best to learn more than one route," one of the Gryffindor prefects instructed. "I'm Corbin Ward." He led the way up several flights of stairs and a dizzying path through the corridors. He stopped abruptly before a portrait of a rather large woman. "The current password is _Aguamenti_. You will speak the password to 'The Fat Lady' for admittance into the Gryffindor common room." The students filed into the common room and the prefect continued his instructions, "The staircase to the left leads to the girls' dormitories. The staircase to the right leads to the boys' dormitories. Your trunks have already been brought to your room. Get some sleep."

James and Sirius rolled their eyes at the parental tone the prefect was using. They headed to their dorm room. It was a round room with five four-poster beds. Their trunks were already in front of their beds.

"Lupin," Sirius called.

"Remus, please."

Sirius nodded agreement, "Okay, Remus. Trade beds? I like the window." He felt freer near the window.

Remus shrugged, "Sure." It was fine with him; he really didn't want to be able to see out of the window. It was too much of a reminder of things to come.

James watched the exchange with curious interest. He looked at the other two boys. "Anyone else want to trade beds?"

"No," said Peter

"Nope, I'm good," said Addison at the same time.

"Good night, then."

They all practically collapsed onto their beds, stomachs full, and exhausted from the day.

-----

A/N - This is the start of a new - and very long - story. I am going to break it up into chunks, hence the label "Part One." I hope you all enjoy the journey watching our favorite Marauders grow up.

Thanks also to those who read and those who review. Thanks to to my cheerleaders - J.A.Carlton, Mom, and mei mei. Love.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 2

At seven in the morning, the curtains and bed hangings in the dormitory opened of their own volition, letting light and the early-morning sounds of chirping birds into the room. This change of atmosphere was enough to wake Remus and Addison. Remus yawned and stretched. He noticed that Sirius was already up and dressed.

"You're up early," Remus said.

"Don't sleep much," Sirius replied. "It's about time you woke up, too. I was starting to get really bored."

"James, Peter. Time to get up," Remus called dully. He wandered into the bathroom and started his morning routine. He heard James say, "Hey!" and peaked his head in the dorm to see what was going on.

Sirius had yanked the covers off James. The sudden change in temperature woke up James, who groggily searched for his glasses and put them on.

"Come on!" Sirius said excitedly. "First day of class."

With a groan, James got up and went into the bathroom.

Remus finished in the bathroom and went back into the dorm to get dressed. He heard Sirius grunt, and looked up to see that the covers were off Peter, who was still sound asleep.

"Right," Sirius said, just before launching himself onto Peter's bed. He bounced around on the bed, trying to rouse the sleeping boy. Peter could be heard groaning in his sleep.

When Sirius hopped off the bed, he looked at the still sleeping Peter. "Well I'm impressed."

"Maybe you should throw a cup of water on him," Addison jokingly suggested.

A mischievous glint appeared in Sirius' eyes and he started chuckling. He retrieved his wand from his nightstand and walked over to Peter's bed. "_Aguamenti_," Sirius whispered. The effect was immediate. Water shot out of the end of his wand and hit Peter in the face. Peter, in turn, jumped up out of bed - cold, wet, and very angry.

"Oi! What…? What are you playing at?" Peter asked.

Remus' initial smile vanished upon seeing how upset Peter was, but Sirius just continued laughing. Addison looked shocked that Sirius had actually taken his suggestion. James walked out of the bathroom, took stock of the situation, and joined in the laughter.

Holding his stomach, Sirius responded, "Oh relax. It was just a joke."

"Well it wasn't very funny," Peter pouted.

Sirius held up his hands to show he meant no harm. "No worries, mate. I used to do that to Regulus all the time."

"Who's Regulus?" Remus asked.

"My brother."

"See?" James said patting Peter on the shoulder. "Look at it this way. He's treating you like family already."

"Heaven help us," Remus interjected.

Peter let the boys' words sink in. He realized he was not being picked on the way he used to be when he was around other kids. This was different. This was an odd form of acceptance. He was still miffed, but he offered up a weak smile to acknowledge he understood what was said.

"Here." Remus stepped forward and performed the drought charm, drying Peter and his bed in one sweep.

Sirius and James looked at Remus with new-found respect. "Excellent," they said in unison.

"Am I the only one who doesn't know any spells?" Addison piped up, looking a little downcast.

"Nah," said James. "Don't worry. Lots of kids from muggle families don't know any. You'll be fine."

The five boys finished getting ready, then headed down to breakfast together. Once they were at their table in the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall came over to pass out their schedules.

"Charms and Potions today," James said to no one in particular while looking over the schedule.

"Ugh," Sirius said in disgust. "Potions is with the Slytherins." He and James shared a look of loathing, than went back to eating.

"So, I don't get it. Why does everyone hate the Slytherins?" Addison asked. James and Sirius looked at Addison in surprise. "What? I'm from a muggle family. I don't know this stuff."

"Well you'll find out soon enough," said Sirius ominously.

"Every dark witch or wizard comes from Slytherin," James explained. "I hate dark wizards," he added, just loud enough to be heard.

Addison glanced over at the Slytherin table, "Oh."

Remus shook his head. "Not all of them are bad." James gave Remus a disbelieving look. "Well they're not. That's the same thing as saying… all muggles are stupid, or all pure-bloods are superior."

"Whatever," James shrugged. He glanced at Sirius, who suddenly seemed very interested in his food. He looked around and he noticed a group of older Slytherins walking toward them.

The eldest girl of the group said in a mock-motherly tone, "Sirius, Sirius. What are we going to do with you?" When Sirius ignored her, she spoke again. "What, you become part of Gryffindor and suddenly you're too good for family?"

"No, just you, Bella," Sirius responded without thinking. Immediately, Bellatrix grabbed Sirius and spun him around in his seat. It was an awkward movement that nearly toppled Sirius to the floor, had James' quick reflexes not caught his arm in time to steady him.

James stood up abruptly to defend his new friend, but Sirius just tugged at the front of James' robe to sit him back down. "No!" Sirius whispered.

A cruel smile spread across Bellatrix's face. She leaned in close to Sirius, "Remember, your loving mother gave me permission to keep an eye on you AND keep you in line – by any. means. necessary." She glanced at James and then back at Sirius. Whispering quieter still, but somehow more threateningly, "Remember what happened to your last little friend?"

At this Sirius jumped to his feet, fists clenched at his sides.

Professor McGonagall, who had a sixth sense for picking up on trouble, and who happened to still be passing out schedules nearby, swept over to the group. "Is there a problem here?"

Without either Bellatrix or Sirius breaking eye contact, Bella said, "No professor. We were just having a nice family discussion."

Professor McGonagall, looked at Sirius expectantly, "Is that true, Mr. Black?"

"Yes ma'am," he said without hesitation.

"Fine. I suggest, Miss Black, that if you are done with breakfast, you continue on your way out of the hall." The professor waited until the sneering Bellatrix and her friends walked away before resuming her duties.

It wasn't until several seconds after Professor McGonagall walked away that Sirius moved.

"Well, I was beginning to think you'd turned into a statue," Remus said, trying to bring levity to the still tense atmosphere.

"What was that all about?" James asked, no longer able to keep silent.

Sirius didn't respond; he just gathered up his schedule and walked out of the hall. James called after him, but he didn't turn.

When James got up to follow, Remus reached across the table and gently put a restraining hand on James' arm. "Let him go."

James sat back down to finish eating, but found he had suddenly lost his appetite. _Yup. I definitely hate dark wizards._

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks to my readers and reviewers. Thank you, also, to those who've added me to their favorites and alerts. It does the heart good. Thanks also to my ever-supporting... uh... support: Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer - Usual. Not my characters (for the most part) and not my 'verse. Thank you, Rowlings.

Chapter 3

The next time Remus, Peter and James saw Sirius, he was already in the Potions classroom. Surprisingly, he seemed fine and was, in fact, joking with the Potions Master, Professor Slughorn, a jolly-looking, beefy man with quick, sharp eyes. James was a little surprised by the professor's good nature, as he was the current Slytherin Head-of-House, and James was still of the opinion that all Slytherins were evil, unlikable, dark wizards.

When Sirius saw his dormmates enter the classroom, he joined them at the tables.

Within two minutes, the classroom was full of Gryffindor and Slytherin first years, Snape among them. He immediately pulled out his book and caldron and waited patiently for class to begin.

James gave Sirius a curious look. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Sirius replied, and then, to change the subject, he nudged James and inclined his head in the direction of Snape. "Little eager, isn't he?"

James looked in Snape's direction, but just then Lily Evans walked in front of his field of vision and he was temporarily distracted as he tracked her to her seat.

"Let's start by taking roll," Professor Slughorn began when everyone was in the room. As he called through the names of the students, he would often stop to chat about family - wasn't your father so-and-so, or, aren't you related to… When he called out Sirius' name, there was a slight pause. "I see you're in Gryffindor."

"Yes sir."

"Ah, I had wondered… well, no matter," he said with a friendly smile, and the roll call continued without further comment to Sirius.

Slughorn had the students make a potion in their first class with only a brief introduction on the tools they were to use. He said it was a sort of test, just to get an idea of where everyone was in their potion-making ability. He wandered around the classroom making suggestions and comments to various students.

"Well, done Mr. Potter." "Very good Mr. Avery, but I would recommend adding a touch more beetle's eyes."

At the end of class, he told everyone to bring their potion to the front desk for testing. Once all of the potions were lined up, he started at one end and worked his way down the line, dropping in a single drop of some solution he was carrying in his hand. Several potions did not react in any way. A few started bubbling profusely, and with a quick wave of his wand, Slughorn immediately washed away the messes. He put a drop of his solution into one caldron and a small cloud of glowing red smoke rose and took shape. The figure of a dragon appeared and then, with a flap of its wings, dissipated.

Professor Slughorn laughed jovially. "Most impressive, uh… Mr. Snape. Yes, impressive indeed. Nice personal touch you added." Snape did not smile, but he gave a slight bow. "You obviously didn't use the butterfly wings?"

"No sir. I added scale of newt and batwing."

"Ah, yes. Creative combination. But how did you account for the interaction between the beetle's eyes and the batwing?"

"Pepper, sir."

Slughorn stared for a moment at Snape then he burst into laughter. "Yes! Yes!" he said excitedly. "That would work, and account for the red coloring. Very good. Ten points to Slytherin for finishing the potion. And another ten for originality," he said and patted Snape's shoulder before moving on to test more potions. Avery gave a cheer, and the other Slytherins were beaming with pride. Snape looked over at James and sneered. James glared back.

Three caldrons down, another puff of cloud sprung up from a tested caldron. This time, a brightly-colored purple butterfly appeared. "Very good, Miss Evans. Have you made potions before?"

Blushing crimson, but smiling, the pretty redheaded Gryffindor answered, "No sir. This is my first."

"Excellent! Excellent! Not many can complete this potion, let alone in the allotted time, as you can see." The professor made a sweeping motion with his arm, indicating the other incomplete potions. "Ten points to Gryffindor as well." It was Sirius and James who whooped this time, causing Lily to turn an even deeper shade of scarlet. Slughorn smiled at the displays of enthusiasm. "I think this might be the first time I've had two students in one class complete this particular potion."

"Thank you, sir," she said. Patty, one of the other Gryffindor girls, smiled and gave her a congratulatory thumbs-up. After class, the Gryffindors patted Lily on the back as they passed her on their way out.

"Well, I feel a little better knowing we weren't supposed to be able to finish the potions," Remus commented about the class. "Professor Slughorn's not a bad teacher, either." Remus half directed his comment at James, knowing how James felt about Slytherins.

"Yeah," Peter said. "I might actually do okay in his class. He seems very helpful." Peter was relieved. He also had heard bad things about Slytherins, and potions made him nervous. He thought having a Slytherin teacher would only compound his nerves, but so far it didn't seem that bad.

"Hmm," was all James said. Later, the other boys would recognize this non-response. It meant James was plotting something. Absently he said, "Did you see how smug he looked?"

"Who?" Peter asked.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Let it go, James. He's just a git."

After lunch was Charms. The Gryffindors entered the class room and saw a very short, elderly wizard standing atop a chair. He looked slightly comical, poised as he was. The students soon learned, however, that despite his pleasant nature and apparent clumsiness, he was not a wizard to be underestimated.

He too started the class with roll and toppled off his stack of books when he read off Remus' name. Most of the class giggled, and he apologized and continued with the list. Though most of the other students didn't pay attention, almost all of the teachers had some kind of reaction when they read Remus' name.

After roll call, Professor Flitwick jumped right into the lesson with proper wand technique – swish and flick. This technique was put to practical use with the first charm taught – the levitation charm – which the other students would soon come to wish Sirius and James hadn't learned quite so well.

As they walked out of class, Sirius turned to James, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Do you know the fun we can have with that spell?"

James returned the look with a devious grin of his own. "Oh yeah!" Both boys chuckled. And Remus and Peter exchanged a look that said, "We're in trouble now."

It seemed Addison had already picked up on the trouble-making vibe that James and Sirius emitted, and was distancing himself from his fellow his fellow dormmates. He preferred the company of less exuberant students.

That night in the common room, Sirius and James amused themselves by making various objects float around the room. They made books and quills float away from their owners. They even got Remus in on a competition to see who could pick up the smallest object and then, of course, the largest. Sirius managed to get the sofa to float, much to the delight of the giggling girls seated there. There wasn't anything bigger to try so, by default, he won. It was at this point that Amelia, the fifth year prefect, told them to stop horsing around and respect the students who were trying to get work done. Shortly thereafter, the boys grew bored and turned in for the night.

Breakfast the next morning brought a whole new level of fun. James and Sirius continued to cast the levitation charm on anything they could think of. They moved several chairs, as students were getting ready to sit in them; plates and glasses drifted away from their owners. It wasn't until Sirius had a large pitcher of orange juice hovering over the Slytherin table, and James a tub of syrup, that Professor McGonagall intervened.

"Potter! Black!" Both boys jumped and turned to the professor. "Stop this instant. The Great Hall is not the place to perform magic."

The boys exchanged the briefest of glances and promptly dropped the pitcher and tub. Slytherins within a five-foot radius of the fallen items were covered in juice and syrup. Yelling broke out as the angry, and now rather sticky, Slytherins turned on Sirius and James.

"I have not seen such behavior in Gryffindors in some time! Five points from each of you _and_ you will have detention with Mr. Filch tomorrow at 7. Head to his office at that time and he will assign your punishment." Professor McGonagall eyed them both angrily.

"Yes ma'am," they said in unison with their heads bowed so she couldn't see their smiles.

"And you," she turned to the Slytherin tables. "I expect more dignified behavior. We do not shout at each other and riot over such minor incidents. Now go clean up before class begins." With that, McGonagall returned to the head table.

Sirius and James snickered as they turned their attention back to their breakfast.

"You're not as funny as you think, Potter," Lily said hotly. "How would you like it if your day started with having to clean syrup off your robes?"

"And your hair," Sirius added with a smile.

"And your shoes," James said, starting to laugh again.

"And your food," Sirius continued listing items.

"Eww… soggy bread," Remus joined in.

"And syrup in your juice," Peter chimed in.

Lily stood for a moment, flabbergasted. Not knowing what else to say, she shook her head and stormed off to class, leaving the boys behind, doubled over in gales of laughter.

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again the the readers and the reviewers. Thank you also to those who've added this story to their alerts/favorites lists. I'm honored - truly - there's so much good HP fan fiction out there. Thank you. Thanks also to my editors - Mom and mei mei, and to my beloved beta - J.A.Carlton (if you like mature Supernatural stories... go see her profile).


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Detention with Argus Filch proved to be both extremely unpleasant and rewarding. As punishment for making a mess in the Great Hall, Filch decided that the tables, benches, and floor needed to be scrubbed - by hand. This feat took James and Sirius several hours to accomplish and they were physically exhausted. They returned to Filch's office when they were done, and were told to sit while he filed the paperwork recording their crime and detention. Suddenly, a loud crash resounded from down the hall.

"Peeves," Filch whispered angrily. "Stay here. And touch nothing!" commanded Filch as he went to investigate the commotion.

As the boys sat in their chairs, they looked around the office. James nudged Sirius and pointed to a cabinet labeled "Confiscated and Highly Dangerous." Sirius nodded to James and headed toward the door to stand as look-out. James went to the cabinet and tried to open it, but it was locked. He glanced at Sirius to make sure the coast was still clear, than whispered, "_Alohamora_." The lock of the cabinet clicked and the door swung open.

James looked like a kid in a candy store. There were all types of items from dung bombs to Fanged Frisbees to Filibuster Fireworks. James grabbed as many dung bombs as he could, then fireworks and he was reaching for another handful when Sirius warned, "James!" He quickly closed the cabinet door and whispered, "_Colloportus_," then rushed back to his seat, handing some things to Sirius and both boys hiding everything in their robes.

Filch reentered the room, muttering to himself. "Go," he ordered, apparently distracted enough by whatever the poltergeist had done to forget why he wanted them to stay sitting in his office.

The boys left, feeling they owed Peeves a bit of gratitude. As they made their way across the entrance hall on their way back to their common room, they heard a sing-song voice calling, "Sirius."

Sirius froze and James looked at him curiously. James turned to see who was calling. It was the older Slytherin girl from the breakfast incident the day before, and she was not alone.

"Oh Sirius."

Slowly, Sirius turned to face her. "Bella," he stated flatly.

"Your mother is not pleased. Not pleased at all. First you manage to get yourself in Gryffindor. And then you get detention on the second day of classes." Bellatrix laughed. Her pleasure at the thought of Sirius in trouble with his mother was obvious and it ignited James' anger.

The group of four came to a halt in front of the boys. Bella was in front. She was flanked by a platinum-blonde haired boy around her age, an attractive blonde girl who shared similar features with Bellatrix, and… Snape.

"Why is he here?" James asked without thinking.

Snape sneered, but it was Bella who answered without taking her eyes off her cousin, "To learn."

"What do you want, Bella?" Sirius asked, his whole body thrumming with tension.

Bella had pulled out her wand and was fingering it casually. "Your mother told us to keep you in line. I'm just… fulfilling my duty." Her eyes glinted malevolently.

Sirius stepped forward. While it shortened the distance between himself and his cousin, the change in position put him between the group and James. He would not let anything happen to another friend of his.

"You can't do anything. There are teachers and prefects…" James continued.

"Shut up!" Sirius snapped at James.

Bellatrix finally looked at James, the unpleasant smile spreading further still across her face. "That's why Lucius is here." The tall, aristocratic blonde shifted just enough for his prefect's badge to show.

Realizing that they were outnumbered, had far less knowledge of spells and counter-spells than those standing before them, and very likely nobody would be coming to their aid, James began to feel afraid, and very young.

"When did you stoop to becoming muscle-for-hire, Malfoy?" Sirius asked.

"You misunderstand," Lucius said coolly. "I'm escorting the lovely Narcissa on a private tour of the castle." He glanced at the younger blonde, smiling sweetly at her. She blushed and smiled back, taking his hand in hers. When Lucius' gaze returned to Sirius, it was anything but sweet. "We're just stopping here for a bit of entertainment." The couple stepped back slightly from Bella, giving her room.

James reached for his wand, slowly so as not to be noticed. But before he could raise it, Snape had his own wand pointed directly at James.

"I think not," Snape said in a slow cold voice. He gestured with his wand for James to step away from Sirius.

"I think," Bella said, "since you seem so fond of the levitation charm… _Wingardium Leviosa_." Before Sirius could think to do anything, he found himself floating a foot off the ground. He saw the flick of Bella's want and knew this was going to end badly for him. Just as he and James had made objects float and move, Bella performed the same trick, only using Sirius as the object. She flung him into the wall opposite the entrance to the dungeons.

"No!" James yelled.

Sirius fell to the floor with a soft thud. He got to his hands and knees, shaking his head to clear it. He could hear his cousin moving again and tried to prepare himself for another attack, but chaos broke out around him. Sirius was aware of a strong odor filling the entrance hall. At the same time, he heard Bella shriek. Snape yelled a spell, as did James. A moment later, James skidded to a halt in front of Sirius and reached down to help him up.

Once Sirius was on his feet, though barely, he surveyed the scene. Water had been sprayed everywhere and, apparently, James had tossed a few of the dung bombs he had nicked from Filch's cabinet. One of them had hit Bella square in the face. She looked insane. Her eyes were bulging with fury and brown was smeared across her face. Snape was on the floor, having slipped in a puddle of water; and Malfoy, placing himself protectively between Narcissa and the mess, was ushering her toward the entrance to the dungeons.

"I think we might want to leave, too," Sirius suggested to James. Seeing that Sirius was still unsteady on his feet, James wrapped his arm around Sirius' middle and slung Sirius' arm around his own shoulders, as he guided him to the nearest door, leaving Bella and Snape to clean up the mess in the front hall.

By the time they reached the portrait of The Fat Lady, Sirius was walking on his own.

"How do I look?" Sirius asked.

"Like you got thrown across a room."

Sirius straightened, than tried to smooth his hair and robes. "Good?"

James gestured "so-so" with his hand. "I still don't know why you won't go to McGonagall."

Sirius just stared at James with an unreadable expression, than he turned to the portrait and said, "_Aguamenti._" He stepped into the common room and headed straight for the stairs to the dorm.

James glanced around the common room and locked eyes with Remus. Remus understood that something was up. He nudged Peter and the two of them followed James and Sirius up the stairs. By the time Remus entered the room, Sirius was coming out of the bathroom. His robes and shirt were off and it looked like he had splashed water on his face. He and James were in the middle of a debate.

"You can't be serious!"

"Of course, I'm…" James held up his hand to stop Sirius from finishing.

"Sirius!"

"I'm going to bed."

"Sirius," James said, trying to control the tone of his voice. "You just got thrown into a wall. You should at least go see Madam Pomfrey."

"What?" Remus and Peter asked in unison as their eyes shot to Sirius, who was sitting on the edge of his bed, kicking his shoes off, tiredly.

James continued, "You could barely walk, man."

"Just stay out of it, James!" Sirius yelled at him.

James seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Nuh-uh. Not after Snape had a wand to my face. No. I'm in this now."

"What?" Remus and Peter asked again, this time looking at James.

James finally turned to Remus and Peter. "We were ambushed coming back from detention. Bella, Snape and two other kids. One of them was a prefect. Lucius, I think Bellatrix said his name was."

"Lucius Malfoy," Sirius interjected, knowing that if James was familiar with his family's surname, he'd also recognize the Malfoys. "And for your information, the others were Bellatrix Black," Sirius emphasized the "Black," "and Narcissa Black. It's a family thing, and I'm not dragging the school into it."

"Fine!" James huffed.

Remus made his way over to his trunk and started rummaging through it. "Anything broken?"

Sirius sighed. "No," he said tiredly. "I'll just be a little sore tomorrow."

"What about your head?" James asked concernedly.

"I think that was broken before he got here," Remus snarked.

"Ha, ha" Sirius replied, but he was smiling again.

Remus straightened up, having found what he was looking for. "Here, drink this."

"What is it?" Sirius eyed the bottle suspiciously.

"Just… trust me. It helps with… minor injuries."

"And why do you have that in your trunk?" James asked, curious.

"One can never be too prepared," Remus said sagely.

Sirius drank the potion and felt warmth spread through his entire body, relaxing him. He ran his hand through his hair without thinking and winced when his hand ran over the large knot on the back of his head. He was so tired. "Can I go to bed now?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes," James answered, "but this isn't done."

Sirius just lay back on his bed and let the world fade to black.

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again to those who review and add me to their alerts/favorite. Thanks for the encouragement. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks again, also, to Mom, mei mei and J.A.Carlton. You guys rock!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

At breakfast the next morning James said, "Okay, so… I've been thinking about last night." Sirius groaned and rolled his eyes. "No, no. Hear me out. I say… we retaliate." James was practically bouncing in his seat with excitement.

"I don't really think any of us can take on Bellatrix," Remus pointed out. "I mean there are all kinds of shield charms and counter-jinxes. But she's got six year's head start on us."

James nodded, but said, "No, I'm not talking about dueling. You're right. She'd wipe the floor with us. No. I was thinking something a little more… subtle."

Sirius was listening intently. He did not like feeling helpless, and he was willing to listen to any suggestions that would enable him to handle the situation with his cousin.

"Subtle? I didn't think that word was in your vocabulary," Remus deadpanned.

Peter snickered.

Ignoring Remus, James continued, "I'm talking about doing little things. Changing their hair color, jelly-legs, shocking them when they try to sit down. You know. Nothing dangerous, but enough to drive them batty."

Sirius was really getting into the idea now. He smiled as he said, "Oo. Like guerilla warfare. Shoot from cover."

The other three boys stopped and stared incredulously at Sirius. "What? I read… occasionally." Actually, tactics was among the few subjects he had enjoyed learning during his home studies.

James continued, "I was looking through our year one Standard Book of Spells. There's tons of stuff we could use. I bet if we went to the library we could get our hands on a whole lot more."

"Ah, nothing sparks a child's desire to learn like a little payback," Remus said, sounding very mature and studious.

"So… Are we all in?" asked James.

Sirius immediately replied, "Absolutely!"

Remus shrugged, "Sure."

"Yes!" Peter had never been invited on the inside of a group before. He was scared of what they were about to do, and he didn't want to get in trouble. But his gratitude for how accepting the others were of him made him more than willing to take part. It was an added bonus that he'd be learning things other students his age wouldn't get to until later, maybe things they wouldn't learn at all.

"Great! Tonight, before supper, we'll head to the library." And the plan was set in motion.

The four boys spent the next week practically living in the library. They left only to go to class, to eat, to go to the bathroom, and to sleep. When they were in public areas, they whispered conspiratorially and often got annoyed when people tried to interrupt them. Though they hadn't done a single thing yet, they were starting to get a reputation for troublemaking, which really only added to their enthusiasm. They even started using this to their advantage. During meal times, they would send frequent glances to the Slytherin table and then burst into fits of laughter.

Finally, Bellatrix couldn't handle it any more. She walked over to the boys at supper. "I don't know what you're planning or what you think you're doing, but I'd seriously reconsider it if I were you."

"Or what?" Sirius challenged. "I haven't done anything wrong. You can't even complain to my mother because I haven't done anything. And considering I haven't heard from her about our last family reunion, I'm guessing you didn't tell her about your abysmal failure."

With each word, Bella's temper flared higher. Her breathing increased and her eyes widened in anger. In one swift motion, she grabbed Sirius by the front of his robes and pulled him off his seat to stand in front of her. They were practically nose-to-nose. "Listen here, you little runt. I swear, the first wrong move you make – hitting a wall will be the least of your worries. And keep this one small point in mind… You dragged your friends into this. As far as I'm concerned, they're fair game now." She shoved Sirius away, looking at his friends, each one in turn. "The Blacks handle their own. You want to get involved, fine. But I wouldn't wander the corridors alone, if I were you." Her cold, malevolent smile returned, as she walked away just before Professor McGonagall walked up to find out what was going on.

On seeing that Bellatrix had left, the professor let the incident slide, but noted, not for the first time, that she would have to keep a close watch on Black, though maybe for his own safety. She was not unaware of the rumors surrounding Bellatrix and how she handled younger students. But not having witnessed anything, there had not been anything she could do.

Sirius watched his cousin go, anger coursing through his body, but it was tempered by the guilt of getting his friends involved in something that could potentially get them hurt. He felt a tug on the sleeve of his cloak.

"Sirius." It was James.

"What? Oh, sorry." And he sat back down.

"Well," Remus said. "I think she's scared."

The boys broke into smiles, but as Sirius glanced at his cousin, his smile faded. "I'm sorry, guys."

"For what?" James asked.

"For getting you involved in this. It's… a family thing. And Bella doesn't exactly play nice."

James shook his head. "Last time I looked, you didn't drag us into anything. In fact it was _her_ that dragged _me_ into this."

Peter spoke up, "And we volunteered. What are mates for?"

Sirius regarded Peter for a few seconds, then nodded and smiled. "Right. Okay. So…" The four boys leaned back in to continue their earlier conversation.

After breakfast on Saturday, the boys went back to their dormitory to gather their bags. They had decided that they'd spend an hour in the library and then head outside. It was a clear fall day and they wanted to use it to explore the school grounds. James was searching through his trunk, occasionally tossing things aside onto the floor and grunting in frustration.

"What are you looking for?" asked Peter.

"Yeah, come on. The library awaits," Sirius said.

"I can't find my snitch." James continued to rummage.

"You have a snitch?" Remus looked up from his book, curious.

"Yeah. You know, one of those practice ones… Don't tell me I lost it again," James mumbled. "Huh. What's this?" he asked himself. He pulled out a small, butcher-paper wrapped parcel. Sirius came alongside James to see what it was. There was a note attached from his father. It read:

_Dear James,_

_Your mother and I are very proud of you. Know that we will miss you and be thinking of you. _

_(Okay, now that your mother isn't looking over my shoulder anymore) Enclosed is a gift for you. Your mother doesn't approve of my giving it to you, but I figure that if you're going to use it properly, you'll have to practice with it first. Right?_

_Enjoy your time at school. There really is no other time like it._

_Sincerely,_

_Dad_

James and Sirius exchanged curious looks. Sirius nudged James, "Open it, already."

James sat on the edge of his bed and opened the parcel. Inside was a silvery, liquid-feeling cloak. He held it up to examine it.

Peter, who was munching on an apple he'd grabbed at breakfast, approached, staring at the cloak in awe. "That's an invisibility cloak."

"Wicked!" said Sirius, lifting one edge of the cloak and putting it over his hand. Indeed, it appeared as if his arm stopped at his wrist.

James started laughing. "Excellent! Do you realize the things we could do with this?"

Remus inspected the cloak appreciatively then, after what he felt was a respectable amount of time, he cleared his throat and said, "Uh, guys… the library?"

"Right," James said, carefully folding the cloak and laying back inside his trunk. "And now we have a new weapon to add to our arsenal."

After only thirty minutes at the Library, it was obvious that James was bothered by something. He kept shifting in his seat and hadn't written anything for at least five minutes.

Remus leaned in toward James and whispered, "James, what's the matter?"

"Huh?" James said distractedly. "Oh, sorry. I'm trying to think of where I might have left my snitch."

"Oh for Pete's sake," Remus rolled his eyes.

"What about me?" Peter asked with a smile. Sirius snickered.

"Okay, that joke is getting about as old as 'seriously Sirius.' And you," Remus pointed at Sirius. "Stop encouraging him." Redirecting his attention to James and trying to ignore the snickers of the other two, Remus said, "Why don't you write your mum and ask if she's seen it?"

James thought about this for a moment. "Okay," he sighed, not being able to think of anything else he could do. He pulled out a piece of parchment and started writing a letter home. He had intended to only ask about the snitch, but he didn't want to seem rude. So the simple question became a rather lengthy letter.

While he was writing, Remus decided he would also take the time to write home. Peter quickly followed suit.

After a few minutes of trying to research, Sirius gave up. He watched the others write home with a mounting feeling of annoyance that he couldn't quite explain. As his agitation built, his ability to sit still waned. He resorted to levitating objects again. This turned into making a nuisance of himself as he started levitating the other boys' parchment, quills, ink bottles and other items.

"Sirius! Knock it off," James snapped.

Sirius crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking, for all the world, like a pouting five year old.

Remus gestured for Sirius to come close to the table so he wouldn't have to speak at normal volume and risk getting into trouble with the strict Madam Pince. Sirius complied.

"Sirius, I'm telling my mum about you guys. Could you write something to her… you know, just to say 'hi'?" Remus asked.

Sirius shrugged, but he took Remus' quill and wrote a quick 'hello.' This started a brief letter exchange as James and Peter also wrote to Remus' mum, and then decided they liked the idea. Each boy said hello to the other boys' mums.

By the time they were done with the letters, their planned hour in the library had passed. Since James was the only one with an owl, they agreed to go to the Owlery before supper to use the school owls to send off their letters.

"Do we still want to go outside?" Remus asked. Everyone agreed they'd rather be out on the grounds, so they packed up their bags, dropped them off in their dorm, and headed outside to explore.

They saw a small crowd gathered near a tree off to the east of the castle.

"Isn't that the Whomping Willow?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," said Remus. "Wonder what's going on."

As they neared the crowd, they realized that a competition was going on. Dares were being made as to who could get closest to the tree without being hit. Shortly after they arrived, a booming voice came from behind the group.

"'Ey! What do you kids think yer doin'? Get away from there!" Everyone turned to see Hagrid coming toward them at an alarming speed. The crowd scattered.

The rest of that Saturday was spent the way most boys spend their Saturdays. Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James picked up sticks to use as swords. They were knights, adventurers, and pirates, and when their 'swords' broke, they resorted to wrestling, tag and hide-n-go-seek. Occasionally they joined in play with others, and sometimes it was just the four of them. And none of them could remember laughing so hard or so often as they did that day.

- - - - -

A/N Thanks again for the reviews and being added to alerts. That really makes my day - or evening - or whatever time it is. Thank you. Thanks also to my ever faithful Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Much love. And thanks for the encouragement and inspiration.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer - I don't own the Potter 'verse. Thanks, Rowlings, for the inspiration.

Chapter 6

On Monday morning, as the quartet was heading for breakfast, Peter saw that a bulletin had been placed on the Gryffindor notice board. The boys gathered around and James started bouncing on the spot.

"Quidditch!" he exclaimed. "The trials are this week. We have to go watch. I can't wait to see what our team is like."

They decided to skip the library while trials were being held. Every night after James came back from the Quidditch pitch, he gave a full rundown of what he saw, even though the others had accompanied him. He spoke about what had been good, what the team hopefuls had done wrong, who he thought had the best chance of making it on the team. "It's not just about skill. A great quidditch team also has to be able to work as a unit," he said.

"Mate, you have got to relax," Sirius said while laughing.

Remus clapped his hand to his head, "Oi, imagine what he's going to be like if he makes it on the team next year."

"IF!" James retorted, sounding very offended. "IF? Oh ye of little faith. I'm going to be on the team. I'm going to be a chaser. You wait and see."

When the week was finally out, the boys were once again at the library.

"So when are we going to start practicing these spells?" Sirius asked.

Remus thought for a moment. "Well, we'll have to find a place in which to practice first."

"Oh, that's easy." All eyes turned to Peter. He nodded, "Yeah, I know a place. I've been wandering the school…"

"Is that what you call it?" Sirius asked with a smirk. "I thought you just got lost a lot."

"Ignore him," Remus looked pointedly at Sirius, than turned back to Peter. "Please, continue."

Peter blushed, but continued, "Yes, while _wandering_ I found a few classrooms that aren't used any more. They're dusty and full of cobwebs, but they're fairly secluded."

"Excellent," James said, thoroughly impressed.

"Should we start on Monday then?" asked Sirius.

"Can't," James declared. "Quidditch practice."

Remus shook his head in amusement while Sirius stared in disbelief. "You're not on the team. You know that, right?" Sirius said.

"Yeah, but I figure, until I can join, it's the best way to learn the moves and the team." Sirius continued to stare at James. "I'm only going to one practice a week. Stop staring at me!"

"You're mental." Sirius stated.

"I'm committed," said James, with a smug smile on his face.

"You mean you should be committed," chuckled Remus, his comment causing Sirius to snort.

"Peter's coming with me. Aren't you Peter?" Peter nodded dutifully.

Sirius laughed. "That's because he's the only one who can still stand to hear you talk about quidditch."

James crossed his arms and huffed. "Fine! I didn't invite you to come anyway." Far from having the desired effect, this made Sirius laugh all the more, eventually causing Remus and Peter to join in the laughter with him. After a minute, even James saw how childishly he was acting and started laughing too.

This was far too much commotion for the librarian, Madam Pince, and she kicked them out of the library with a stern warning for them to have better behavior when they returned. The boys stifled their amusement until they got out of the library, than doubled over with uncontained gales of laughter.

Later that day, they agreed that Tuesday would be the best day to find a practice room.

Tuesday evening the boys gathered in the Gryffindor common room with their bags, under the pretense that they would be studying. Though, in actuality, it wasn't much of a pretense. They figured they would partner up to practice casting spells. Two would practice while the other two stood by in case something went wrong. This also allowed one boy to serve as lookout, while the other worked on his assignments. James also had his invisibility cloak tucked away in his pack, just in case they ran into anyone.

Peter led the way. The others were surprised at how well Peter seemed to have learned the castle interior. Apparently his wandering had paid off. He stopped in a long narrow hallway with several doors on either side. The corridor was on the same level as the dungeons, Peter told them. "It's also near the kitchens."

"What?" Sirius asked. "Have you been holding out on us, little man?"

Peter blushed and smiled. "I'll show you that when we head back." Sirius nodded his approval.

"Down to business," James said as he opened a classroom door coughing slightly at the stale air and dust in the unused room. "Let's move the desks out of the way, first."

By the end of the night, Sirius and James were both frustrated. They had expected to get farther than they had. Peter was having the most trouble. Anything harder than basic year-one spells seemed beyond him.

"We all need more practice. There's a reason why we only learn certain spells each year," Remus commented, trying to ease the frustration being felt by all. Knowing that Peter was getting the brunt of the anger, Remus said, "Peter, what about showing us the kitchen now."

Peter's eyes lit up. He knew James and Sirius were naturally talented, and what Remus lacked in natural ability, he more than made up for in book smarts and being able to learn quickly. Peter learned through repetition, and a lot of it, at that. He knew he would eventually be able to do what the others could, it would just take longer; and he didn't know if they'd wait for him. But the Kitchens. Now that was something he knew that the others didn't. In fact, he was pretty sure he knew more about the castle's layout than they did, so he felt he still had something to offer to keep his place in the group.

"Sure. This way," Peter said.

They came to a corridor that seemed to be a dead end. Sirius and James exchanged frustrated looks, their foul mood not having worn off yet. But Peter walked confidently up to the rather large painting of a bowl of fruit. He reached out and tickled the pear in the bowl. The pear gave a small shudder and the entire painting swung open.

Peter looked around to see the reactions from the other boys. To his delight, they were all smiling. James and Sirius walked through the entrance first. James patted Peter's shoulder as he passed, exclaiming, "Good job, Peter," James said.

Remus gave a nod of approval, than walked through the door beside Peter. Immediately, they were greeted by no less than five house elves.

"Would young masters be needing anything from the kitchen?" one asked in a small, squeaky voice. Another said, "Are young masters needing drink or food?" Each house elf was eagerly waiting for the slightest command from the boys.

"Excellent!" Sirius exclaimed. "I'll have pumpkin juice… and a sandwich."

"If we're going to head back to the common room, we probably shouldn't take drinks. Food only." Remus could always be counted on to make practical suggestions.

"Right. Forget the pumpkin juice then. Just a sandwich."

"Pastry for me, thank you," said Peter.

Before Remus and James had a chance to put in their orders, the other elves brought trays filled with all kinds of pastries and sandwiches. Remus and James grabbed a few items from the trays and they all headed back to the common room.

- - - - -

A/N Thanks to my readers and reviewers. Thanks to those who've added me to their alerts/favorites. It's very encouraging. Thank you. Thanks also to my beloved editors - Mom and mei mei - and my lovely beta - J.A. Carlton (check out her Supernatural stuff - kudos).


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

For the next week, Remus, Peter, Sirius and James got together in the empty classroom to practice various spells and charms. James and Sirius decided that they would learn the more complicated spells and let Remus, who was the most patient, teach Peter any spells that he would specifically need to know to accomplish their goal.

Friday night, Sirius announced, "I think we can begin on Monday." James nodded in agreement.

"Uh, guys," Remus interrupted hesitantly. "I won't be here on Monday. Monday or Tuesday." To avoid suspicion caused by any injuries he would receive, Remus and Madam Pomfrey agreed he should stay out of sight for two days after each full moon, the time needed to allow most injuries to be magically healed.

"What? Why?" James asked at the same time Sirius asked, "Where are you going?"

"Well, I… have to go home… for a couple days."

"Why?" James asked again.

"Um. My dad. He travels every so often and when he leaves, I… I have to go home." Remus hated lying. He hated lying in general, but lying to people that he considered friends – the only good friends he'd ever had – made him feel terrible. Part of him wanted to tell them. After all, if they were really his friends – true friends – they wouldn't care. But part of him was afraid of what would happen if he told them. He thought that, at best, they would be afraid of him and, at worst, they would shun him. He didn't think he could handle either consequence. He certainly didn't want friends who were afraid of him, nor did he want to be shunned. Besides, being suddenly abandoned by his friends would cause schoolmates to wonder what had happened, and ask questions he did not want to answer. And there was always the risk one of the boys would let his secret slip, and he'd have to leave school, though he didn't think they were the type to do that. So it was easier, and safer, to lie.

"So," Sirius said. "My dad travels, too, but I don't have to go home, thank goodness."

"Well… my mum. She's sick and needs someone to help out when Dad's not there."

"Oh," James said. "Is that why you've been hanging back after class the last couple of days? To get your assignments?"

Remus was surprised that the others had noticed this, but he nodded. "Yes."

Sirius stared at Remus like he didn't quite believe his story, but James just shrugged and said, "Okay. We can wait until you get back." Sirius huffed quietly. "Wednesday it is."

Sunday night, Sirius watched Remus closely as he got ready to leave. James had found his snitch and was absent-mindedly playing with it – releasing it and quickly catching it. The snitch had such a limited range, however, that this was barely a challenge for him. Peter was finishing up his assignment for potions the next morning, though it was taking a long time because he kept watching James.

"You're not packing much," Sirius observed.

"I still have stuff at home, so I don't need much."

Sirius was silent for a moment, then, "How are you getting home?"

"Professor McGonagall said I could use her fireplace and travel by floo powder." Remus seriously doubted that even Sirius was brave enough to ask Professor McGonagall a personal question about her fireplace. And if he was brave enough, McGonagall was very sharp. If Sirius asked her a question about Remus, he thought she would cover for him.

"How are you getting back?"

Remus sighed. "I don't know, Sirius. I didn't ask."

"You mum doesn't have any other friends or family that could stay with her?" Hurt flashed through Remus' eyes and he ducked his head. Sirius had only been curious. He hadn't meant to hurt Remus but he didn't understand how there couldn't be anyone else that could stay with his mum. For all the things he didn't like about his family, at least they were always around when you needed them – if only for those they deemed worthy.

"Sirius," James said in a warning tone. He had stopped playing with the snitch.

"Sorry, I was just…"

"No, it's okay," Remus interrupted. Sirius couldn't possibly know why his comment had stung so badly. But between the guilt of lying and the reminder of how his life affected his parents, what Sirius had said had almost brought Remus to tears. With a deep breath, he pushed them back and hoped the others hadn't noticed. "Look. It's just… the way it is." he grabbed his pack and walked out of the dorm.

Sirius looked to James, "What just happened?"

"I don't know, Sirius. But, next time… maybe not so many questions."

The trip from the dorm to Madam Pomfrey's office was very long and quiet. Remus was left alone with his thoughts, which seemed to be screaming at him. He didn't know how he would be able to keep this up for seven years without his dormmates finding out. Maybe coming to school hadn't been such a good idea. It bothered him that he had made friends – friends that he'd always have to keep at arms' length. Eventually they would tire of being kept at a distance and he'd lose them anyway.

Remus' inattentiveness led him into a corridor where Peeves was dangling a suite of armor from a cord. The cord was tied to an unlit torch. As soon as the torch was lit, the cord would burn and the armor would fall with a resounding crash.

Peeves turned when he heard the student coming down the hall. "Student out of bed," he yelled. "Student out of bed! Oh!" Peeves said with a cackle of delight. "It's you. Lupin. Lupine Lupin. Lunar Lupine Lupin. Loony Lupin. Loony Loopy Lupin." Peeves delighted himself with his usual word games; but, much to Remus' horror, it seemed obvious the poltergeist knew that he was a werewolf.

"Shut up!" Remus said in frustration.

"Ooo! Lupin has a temper." Peeves finished tying the rope, then took to following Remus down another corridor, calling the whole time, "Loony Loopy Lupin! Loony Loopy Lupin!"

It wasn't until Remus turned a corner and nearly trampled Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, that Peeves did a loopty-loop in the air and floated away to find trouble elsewhere, cackling as he went.

Remus had just entered the hospital wing, when Madam Pomfrey came out of her office. "Oh, my dear. I was just coming to get you. Come on now, let's go." She grabbed a candle holder and, at a brisk pace, escorted Remus through the castle, out onto the castle grounds, into the Whomping Willow, and through the tunnel to the shack at the other end. As it turned out, the journey took so long, they barely reached the shack in time.

"Madam Pomfrey," Remus said urgently. "You have to go… now!"

She took one look at him, her eyes went wide and the color drained from her face. But she took the time to say, "I will be back in the morning. Take care of yourself, dear." Remus was touched by how concerned she sounded for him, which all the more made him want her to leave quickly. She turned and went through the door to the tunnel, magically sealing it behind her.

Remus looked around. He'd never had so much room before and it made him wonder how the wolf would react. The long-abandoned shack had furniture, knick-knacks, and other household items. Remus hoped the wolf would vent its aggression on his environment rather than him. The heightened senses came again, as did the pain.

The next thing Remus was consciously aware of was warmth and light. He was lying in a bed at the hospital wing, the night gone. Light was coming through the windows. He took stock of his injuries before opening his eyes, as was his ritual. He was grateful that the neck injures were not there. Somehow, the injures caused by the collar left him feeling less than human. But he noticed pain in his arms and legs, probably where he had bitten himself. He had a rather spectacular headache, too, and this made him curious as to what he'd done to cause that.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Madam Pompfrey's internal nurse radar must have kicked in, because she was immediately bustling over to his bed to check on him.

"How are you, dear?" she asked kindly.

Remus shrugged. "Okay… My head hurts."

"Your head? That's all? My goodness child," she sounded exasperated. She mumbled to herself while walking away to retrieve a vial, "Honestly, children should not have to deal with such things. 'Okay.' I'll be the judge of that." To Remus she said, "Here. Drink this. You probably have a concussion. Apparently you tried to ram your way out of a window…Repeatedly. 'Headache!'" And she was mumbling to herself again.

Once she left Remus to himself, he examined his arms and legs. At least the cuts were not any worse than he had had before. He was a little disappointed that the wolf did not seem at all appeased by the larger space, but had, in fact, seemed to desire freedom that much more.

Remus took another nap after eating a bit, and then settled in to finish his missed classwork. He wondered how the other boys were doing, and if they were putting finishing touches on some of their schemes.

By Tuesday afternoon, Remus was bored and more than ready to leave. Before dinner, Madam Pomfrey looked over his injures.

"May I go now?" Remus asked, trying to sound polite.

"I would have liked to see a little more healing from this wound," she said, examining his left arm. "Well," she sighed, "I suppose. Take it easy for the next couple of days and you should recover just fine."

Remus hopped off the bed and grabbed his things. "Thank you!"

He walked quickly out of the hospital wing and then ran all the way back to his dorm room. Despite looking sickly most of the time, Remus was actually rather hardy and healthy. After tossing his bag on his bed, he headed for the Great Hall. As soon as he entered, he spotted the others and made a bee-line for them, a huge grin plastered across his face.

Sirius glanced in his direction and nudged James. Both smiled and waved enthusiastically, as did Peter, once he saw at who they were looking.

"Hey, mate. Welcome back." Sirius said, cuffing Remus on the arm.

"Thanks. It's good to be back," Remus said and sat down to eat. "So how are the plans going?"

"Excellent!" said Peter.

James nodded, "Yup. I think we're ready to begin our assault."

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again for the reviews and encouragement. I know, I sound like a broken record, but get used to it, there's a lot more to come and I will remain genuinely grateful. Thanks also to J.A.Carlton, Mom and mei mei. Love.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer - I don't own the Harry Potter 'verse.

Chapter 8

The boys spent the rest of the night catching Remus up on the latest happenings from the last two days, and on the additions and changes to their plans. Remus helped smooth some of the rough points of their plans, which were only interrupted, annoyingly, by school assignments.

The four primary targets of the campaign were Bellatrix Black – the primary target, Severus Snape, against whom James held a grudge, and Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black. While they had not directly participated in the other night, nearly a month ago now, they had not stepped in to help the younger boys either. The boys had also decided that any other Slytherin, especially those known to associate with the four, were fair game, and thus secondary targets. For example, Bella had a boyfriend named Rodolphus Lestrange who was usually in her company and partook in her torturing of the younger students. A first-year named Avery and a girl named Bulstrode, hung around with the core group as well.

Wednesday morning, the boys got to breakfast as early as possible and ate quickly. Then they hid outside the Great Hall and waited for their targets to arrive. Malfoy and Narcissa were the first to arrive. James and Sirius discreetly jinxed them, turning their hair a violent shade of pink. They didn't know anything had happened to them until a few seconds after they entered the Great Hall, when laughter broke out all around them. Before they had a chance to figure out what was going on, Snape arrived for breakfast. James had performed the same jinx on him.

"Ew," Remus said quietly. "Definitely not his color."

The boys tried to control their laughter. Bella had yet to arrive and they didn't want to give themselves away. Unfortunately, just as Bella was about to pass in front of them, their first three victims ran out of the Great Hall. Bella and Rodolphus started to laugh, but quickly stopped when Lucius noticed the four boys standing off in a corner.

"You!" Lucius shouted angrily. James and Sirius hid their wands behind their backs.

"What?" Sirius asked. "Like the hair." He glanced at his cousin Narcissa, "Aww, I see you decided to go with matching outfits."

"You did this!" Lucius insisted.

Sirius' grey eyes turned steely. "Prove it."

Lucius stood indecisively for a moment. He really couldn't prove that these four had done anything, and there were too many other students around to make a fuss. He stalked off with Snape and Narcissa to fix the hair problem, and Bella and Rodolphus headed toward the Great Hall.

"Bella," Sirius called. She turned and glared at him. "I wouldn't walk the corridors alone," he smirked at her.

Rodolphus grabbed her arm before she could do anything. There were too many teachers milling around, trying to find the cause of the commotion.

"Sirius," James said softly, "You might want to cool it. Don't antagonize her."

"'Don't antagonize her?' With what we've got planned? Ha!"

As expected, Snape was in a foul mood when he reached Potions. Professor Slughorn did a double-take when he saw him. Snape's hair had been, mostly, returned to its usual black color, but it still had pink highlights, causing Remus, Peter, Sirius and James to laugh when they saw him. During class, Snape was so angry he had trouble concentrating on his potion and, with Potions being his best class, this only exacerbated his mood.

After class, the four boys followed Snape out of the Potions corridor and into the next one. Once safely out of Slughorn's hearing range, James called out, "Snape!"

Snape immediately turned and raised his wand. This time James was ready for him. In fact, they had counted on Snape pulling his wand.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Snape's wand flew from his hand, and a small crowd of students was starting to gather.

James aimed a spell directly at Snape's wand. The wand shimmered silvery-white for a moment, then returned to its normal color, though, it looked wet. Snape cocked his head to the side while examining his wand. He reached out to retrieve it from the floor, but he couldn't hold onto it. The wand had become extremely slick, like a wet bar of soap, and it slipped and slid from his grasp.

James and Sirius watched, amused, as the boy continued to struggle to pick up his wand. The small crowd started to laugh as well.

After a minute, Lily, who was obviously not amused, stepped forward. "Stop it! Stop it this instant!" she insisted.

"I'm not doing anything," James replied.

"Fix it then."

"I don't need his help," Snape yelled angrily.

"See, Evans. He doesn't need my help."

Lily stepped forward to give Snape a hand with his wand, but he just yelled at her, "I don't need your help either, mudblood!"

Lily turned scarlet and the laughter immediately stopped. James stepped forward and pulled out his wand, "Take that back!"

Just then, Professor Slughorn rounded the corner, on his way to the teachers lounge. "What's going on here?" he asked, surveying the scene. "No magic in the corridors, boys. Put your wands away."

James looked around and noticed that Sirius had also brandished his wand. They both put them away.

"Mr. Snape? You seem to be having trouble following my instructions today," Professor Slughorn said, noting that Snape still had not put his wand away.

"It's their fault!" Snape pointed, his eyes watering with frustration. "I can't pick up my wand."

"Eh?" Professor Slughorn said. "Let me see here. Ah yes. A slipping jinx. Quite a creative use…" he mumbled to himself. To Snape he said, "Well, that's easy to fix," and he performed the counter-jinx. "There you go, Mr. Snape." Turning back to James and Sirius, he asked, "Now why did you two have your wands out?"

"He," James said, pointing angrily at Snape, "used language inappropriate in the presence of a lady." James looked over at Lily and winked. She just rolled her eyes in response. Several of the students watching the exchange nodded agreement that Snape had said something wrong.

"Mmm. I see." Professor Slughorn thought for a bit about what he was going to do. "I think I will take five points from Slytherin for the inappropriate language. I expect better of my house, Mr. Snape. As for you two, we do not use wands in the corridors, even to defend the honor of fair ladies," he added a wink of his own. It was James' turn to blush; though, had he looked around, he would have noticed that Lily had returned to her scarlet shade from earlier. "Five points from each of you for pulling your wands. You will not get detention this time. But be warned. Next time, I may not be so lenient."

"Yes sir," James and Sirius said in unison.

As the crowd dispersed, Sirius nudged James. "'Defending fair lady?'" He burst out laughing again.

"Did you see Snape? Nearly brought him to tears." James laughed.

"Yes, sniveling Severus Snape. Mmm," Sirius thought. "Say that three times fast."

In unison he and James said, "Sniveling Severus Snape. Sniveling Severus Snape. Sniveling Severus Snape." And then broke out laughing.

Peter decided to try his hand at the tongue twister. "Sniveling Severus Snape. Sniveling Sneverus Snape. No, Snivellus Snevering Snape. Wait, wait…"

"Snivellus!" James laughed. His eye caught Sirius, who was already beaming with mischievous pride.

"That's perfect, Peter!" Sirius said amidst chuckles of delight.

"What? What's perfect?" Peter asked. He was getting quite used to being behind James' and Sirius' trains of thought.

"Snivellus! That's a great name for that git."

Remus took in the whole exchange with a subdued smile and a shake of his head. If he was honest with himself, he did find it funny. But he was disturbed that he found he enjoyed being on the giving end for once. He, after all, knew the pain of being on the receiving end. But he chose to remain silent.

The rest of Thursday and Friday were filled with pranks geared to cause as much annoyance as possible.

Due to Peter's aptitude for getting information, James had lent him his invisibility cloak for the very special mission of locating the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Once they knew where it was, Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James hid under the invisibility cloak behind a statue near the entrance. They levitated buckets of water over the door and, as their targets exited, they let the buckets overturn, thoroughly drenching their victims.

The boys took some apples from the kitchens and used an aging spell on the apples to speed along the ripening process. When they were rotten and soft, the boys took them outside and bewitched them to follow and pelt the four Slytherins, covering them with rotten apple debris.

Friday morning, at the breakfast table, Bellatrix leaned over to kiss her boyfriend. Sirius took this opportunity to cast a sticking charm on them, giving a whole new meaning to the term lip-locked. He received detention for that one, but felt it was worth it. While scrubbing out the third-floor boys' bathroom, Sirius only needed to remember what Bella and Rodolphus looked like trying to walk out of the Great Hall, joined at the lips, occasionally tripping, and maneuvering around chairs, people and finally out the door. This particular prank had earned the boys a round of applause. Apparently other students had been on the receiving end of Bella's bullying and were glad to see the tables turned on her.

The boys had their biggest prank planned for Saturday, but it required extra help. Remus, Peter, Sirius and James had to induce Peeves to help them. Saturday morning, they found him writing obscenities on one of the chalk boards.

"Peeves!" Sirius whispered, "Filch is coming."

Peeves looked up from his work, curious that students were actually warning him of the caretaker's approach. "What do ickle first-years want?"

"We're just trying to help," said James.

"…and, we've got an idea for a prank that only you can pull off…" Sirius added.

Peeves looked intrigued. His head cocked to the side as his ears caught the sound of the caretaker's footsteps. So these boys in front of him had not been lying. He dashed down the corridor, away from Filch, cackling as he went, with the boys following.

"What is it ickle first-years want Peeves to do?" Peeves asked, while floating upside-down in front of them.

"We just want you to set off some dung bombs in the Slytherin common room."

Peeves cackled again, "Trouble between Gryffindor and Slytherin already. Peeves does not play favorites."

"Point taken," said Remus, understanding that Peeves would just as easily turn on them for a laugh as soon as help them.

James pulled out his last remaining dung bombs and showed them to the poltergeist. Peeves reached down and swiped them from James' hand, dashing off again.

The four boys exchanged a look. Sirius shrugged, "Here's hoping."

The four of them ran down to the corridor which contained the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Not sure if Peeves was already there or not, they continued as planned. James cast the bubble-head charm on himself and Sirius to ensure a supply of fresh air; Peter went to one end of the hall, and Remus to the other, and James and Sirius ducked under the invisibility cloak. Sure enough, within seconds, screaming Slytherins started streaming out of their common room and into the hall. Remus and Peter lit a few Filibuster Fireworks to drive those in the hall away from the area. A few of the fireworks were designed to smoke, adding cover to the operation. Then Remus and Peter quickly moved to another nearby part of the castle, setting off more fireworks, in hopes that any teachers that had been called in to deal with things would follow the sound of the fireworks, rather than investigate the Slytherin area. With the common room and hall clear, James put his invisibility cloak back in his pack and he and Sirius snuck into the room to begin their work. They had agreed not to linger beyond five minutes, so as much furniture as they could move in that time was levitated out of the common room and into the hall.

James and Sirius ran to catch up with the other two. They almost made it out of the corridor when Peeves came up behind them, cackling madly. "Don't forget this," he said, and tossed the last dung bomb right at the boys. James ducked just in time, but it hit Sirius' arm and the resulting splatter covered the two in putrid smelling dung.

Just then Filch, Slughorn and McGonagall came striding into the corridor, Remus and Peter in tow. McGonagall looked furious, Filch looked like he was ready to skin someone alive, and Slughorn looked… rather amused.

"I have never…" Professor McGonagall began, but couldn't seem to find words to express her anger at the four Gryffindors. Instead, she went straight to the punishment. "One hundred and fifty points from Gryffindor. Detention with Mr. Filch for a week for the mess you caused. Detention with Professor Slughorn for a week for the blatant attack on Slytherin house. And detention with me for a week for the dishonor you've caused the Gryffindor house. Rest assured your parents will be receiving letters regarding your behavior! ...Such hooliganism and shenanigans!"

"But…" "We…" "But Professor…" each of the boys started to protest. But McGonagall glared at each one in turn, effectively silencing them, then turned on her heel and left. She was apparently so angry, she forgot to order them to put the furniture back. Not that Slytherins would want them back in their common room.

They walked slowly back to their own common room, pondering their punishment. That was nearly a month of detentions. Finally, Remus spoke up. "You might want to remove your bubble-heads," he suggested with a grin. He was not looking forward to detention. And he was certainly not looking forward to having his parents find out what a great use he'd been making of his time. But to him, there was an up side. In the short span of a month, he had made the best friends he'd ever had, not that he had much with which to compare. They had pulled off one heck of a stunt. He only wished he could be there to see the Slytherins' expressions when they discovered most of their furniture in the hall.

"Then again," Remus said, "You mind casting it on me? You mates reek!"

Sirius and James took a good look at each other and started grinning. The grinning turned into laughter. It seemed Remus wasn't the only one who thought it was worth it.

News travels fast at Hogwarts, so by the time they reached their own common room, pretty much everyone knew what had happened. The reaction to their presence was mixed. Several students started clapping when they entered, and several even came up to them to ask how they did it. But some of their fellow Gryffindors were miffed. These four boys had already cost the house over one hundred and fifty points, and it was still September. At this rate, they'd be so far in the hole, they wouldn't see the house cup until five years after the boys left. They would have been bombarded, both by those praising their antics and those criticizing them, but the smell that lingered around James and Sirius held off even the most persistent, allowing them to escape to their room and shower.

Thinking it might be more prudent to make themselves scarce for a while, the boys decided to hang out in their dorm the rest of the day.

"We should have a name," Sirius said out of the blue.

"What?" James asked.

"A name. McGonagall called us hooligans. So… We should have a name."

"I don't think she actually called us hooligans…"

"Remus," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Focus here. We need a name."

"How about 'The Hooligans' or 'The Mysterious Four'?" suggested Peter.

Sirius shook his head, "No."

"Yeah, we weren't exactly 'mysterious,' now were we?" James added.

"Well, what do we do?" Remus asked. Seeing the confused expressions on the other's faces, he clarified, "I mean… Our name should fit what we do. We're not hooligans because we didn't really vandalize anything…"

"I'm hungry," Peter said absently.

Sirius said, "You're always hungry."

"Let's go raid the kitchens while we think of a name."

"No. It's almost lunchtime. Besides, if McGonagall catches us doing anything else, we'll have detention for the rest of the year."

"Raiders…" Remus said aloud to himself, staring off into space.

Sirius nudged James and pointed with his thumb to Remus. "He's off again."

"In his own world," James finished.

"Pillagers… Marauders… Pirates… Vikings… no, not that."

"Wait, go back," James said, getting excited.

Remus looked up, his eyes focusing on James, "Huh? Oh, um… I said, 'Pillagers, Marauders, Pir…"

"Yes! That one!" James said, pointing enthusiastically at Remus.

"Marauders…" Sirius said, testing the word. "Hmm… Marauders." He broke out into a huge grin. "Yes, mi'laddies. I think we've got a winner! We shall, from this day forth until forever more, be known as… The Marauders." Sirius spread his hands like he was picturing a billboard with the words "The Marauders" written across it.

Peter clapped. "Excellent. Good job, Remus!"

"Thank you, thank you. My parents will be so proud," Remus laughed.

Within two days each of the boys had received a letter from his parents. Peter's mum had been devastated by her son's behavior and, while Peter didn't mention this, she blamed Sirius for the negative influence. He felt guilty for disappointing his mum, but she really couldn't do anything to him, and, he rationalized, he had received a month's worth of detention, so he was being sufficiently punished. Remus' parents were disappointed and asked questions about the boys he had chosen as friends. They gave a warning about choosing your friends wisely. Remus thought he couldn't have picked better if he tried, though he too felt a twinge of guilt at having let his parents down. James' mother wrote to tell him to stay out of trouble. His father wrote to ask for details. Sirius received a letter that simply said, "This _will_ be dealt with!" His parents had not bothered to sign it or even put his name on it. He tossed the letter in the garbage and tried not to contemplate exactly what it meant.

- - - - -

A/N Thanks as usual to those who read, and review. Thanks to me editors Mom and mei mei and my Beta J.A.Carlton. You guys rock.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer - Unfortunately, not mine. Well, no - not unfortunately. I think we're all glad the idea and wonderfully written story is Rowlings'.

Chapter 9

Much of October passed by uneventfully. The Marauders spent most of the month either in class, doing homework, or in detention.

"I have a new-found appreciation for house elves," Sirius commented one night. Cleaning various objects or rooms was among the favorite forms of detention employed by the staff at Hogwarts.

Not all of their detentions were served together. There were times when they would be taken to separate rooms to clean. There was also one evening when Hagrid needed to go into the Forbidden Forest. There was a bugbear that had wondered out of its territory, and Hagrid wanted to know the reason why. If the situation could be remedied, then the creature could be returned to its proper place; if not, the creature would have to be put down. It was too dangerous to have so close to the school. James and Sirius were the only ones to accompany Hagrid. Peter and Remus stayed at the castle to sort potion supplies, getting rid of the ones that were passed their usefulness date, and listing the locations where the stocks could be replenished.

The only up-side of this was a matter of safety. The rest of the school was safe from the antics of the Marauders, and they were safe from retaliation by the Slytherins.

For a week after their time was served, the Marauders stayed quiet. Everyone assumed that detention had taught them a lesson and there would be no more pranks. The Marauders, however, were spurred on by the fact that their last prank was still talked about. They just needed more time to plan. Peter was also falling behind in certain subjects and needed extra help. He was capable when he finally got what he was trying to do, but he had trouble retaining the information.

"I don't get it," Sirius said, frustratedly. "You practically have a map of Hogwarts in your head, and you got that from wandering around, but you can't remember simple facts and incantations." Sirius was annoyed and bored, and he blamed Peter. They had just come off a month's worth of detentions, they should be doing something fun rather than helping Peter keep up in class. He just couldn't understand why the boy had so much trouble.

"I'm sorry!" Peter said defensively. "I just can't remember this stuff." He was sitting on his bed, trying to remember dates from History of Magic.

Remus held up his hand to stop Sirius from saying anything else. "Okay. Let's take a break. Food anyone?"

For as similar as Sirius and James were, Sirius and Peter were equally dissimilar. In fact, they were almost complete contrasts of each other. Sirius had a normal-to-tall build, with raven-black hair and pale grey eyes. He embodied confidence, courage and loyalty, and was also vivacious and charismatic. Everyone knew when he entered a room, and his mood was mysteriously reflected in the atmosphere. He was also a highly intelligent and gifted wizard, not only able to learn quickly, but apply and adapt the knowledge to his needs. Peter, on the other had, was short for his age, and rather plump, with pale-blonde, thin hair and small, brown, watery eyes. While he had his own courage, it didn't resound in his being the way the other boys' did, and he certainly lacked confidence. He was quiet and almost invisible to most students; or he was 'the boy that hung out with James and Sirius.' While some things came easier to Peter than even to Sirius, such as his sense of direction and his uncanny ability to pick up on information from passing conversations and other sources, he was not book smart and had a difficult time remembering facts and figures. However, food was something on which Sirius and Peter could usually agree.

Remus went over to the box in which they kept their stash and let out a small laugh. "Looks like Addison got another box of his mother's cookies."

"Oi," James said, also laughing. "That doesn't really count as replenishing our stocks. The owls won't even eat those." The Marauders had told Addison he could help himself to the food as long as he helped keep it stocked. He was usually pretty good about doing this, but his mother really couldn't cook, so her cookies tended to sit in the box petrifying.

Remus divvied out some of the food. "Looks like someone's going to have to do a kitchen run."

"Oo, how about tomorrow night?" Sirius suggested, his eyes lighting up.

"I'm going home again tomorrow," Remus said, "but that doesn't mean you can't go."

Sirius stared at Remus in surprise. He wanted to ask questions, but he remembered what happened the last time he got nosey, so he tried to keep his mouth shut.

"Bad timing, mate. Is it just going to be the two nights again?" James asked.

"Yes."

"Good. Then you won't miss the Halloween Feast. I hear it's quite the spread," James said casually. He didn't ask questions, the way Sirius had, but he also found it odd that, not only would Remus be required to go home, he had the school's permission to leave frequently. James hadn't heard of other kids ever making that kind of arrangement.

"What does your mother have?" Sirius asked, not able to resist any longer.

"What?" Remus asked, flustered by the question. The excuse from last month had come without much thought. He hadn't actually considered whether or not a wizard could get a lasting illness.

"What illness does your mother have?" Sirius repeated, more slowly this time.

"It's… I… I don't know."

"You don't know?" Sirius asked disbelieving.

"Sirius," James said warningly.

"What? I mean, I wish my mum had some sort of illness… Well, I think she's mental, if that counts. That won't kill her though… Might get her killed…" Sirius was talking more to himself than the others. But then he regained the thread of what he had been saying and addressed the others. "I just know if it was my mum, I'd want to know exactly what was wrong. And Remus," Sirius pointed to his friend, "isn't an idiot. I just find it hard to believe he doesn't know what the illness is called."

James had to admit Sirius had a point. He didn't want to pry, but he was curious, too, about what was wrong with Remus' mum.

"We… They don't know… yet. They're still trying to determine." It was the only answer Remus could think of in his flustered state. He might have to find some time alone to research in the library so he'd have a better answer next time.

Sirius continued the interrogation, "Why isn't she at St. Mungos?"

"Dad wants her home." Even if he could think of another answer, it really wasn't Sirius' business anyway, and he was frustrated.

"Wouldn't that be… " Sirius began.

"Back off!" Remus lost his temper, and his normally hazel eyes flashed yellow-bronze. "It's none of your business what my mum has or how it's being taken care of."

Sirius looked shocked, and hurt. None of the boys had ever seen Remus get mad and it surprised them all. Peter stared open-mouthed at Remus, who had always remained so patient with him. James looked back and forth between Sirius and Remus, unsure what to do.

Remus dropped his head and rubbed his eyes with his hand. With a sigh, he looked back up at Sirius, his anger gone, having been replaced by guilt. "I'm sorry. I just… don't like questions about my family."

Sirius nodded, though he still looked a bit shell-shocked. His own anger at feeling he was being lied to had been forcefully pushed aside when Remus yelled at him. Once again, he hadn't meant to make the other boy upset, but his own inability to keep quiet had caused him to push too hard.

Sensing the awkwardness in the room, Peter decided to divert attention, "Wait… You can't leave. We have an assignment to turn in. Who's going to help me?"

Remus' gaze lingered a moment longer on Sirius to make sure they were good. Satisfied that Sirius wasn't going to leave or yell back, Remus broke eye contact and shook his head. With a small smile he said, "You'll just have to get James or Sirius to help you."

"Nuh-uh," Sirius jumped in, letting the tension go that had built in the room. "Nope. No can do. If I have to help, you'll come back to a dead Peter."

"Well, I guess that leaves me, then," said James with a smile, glad to feel the calm return.

"Great," Peter said in mock hurt. "I get it. You want me to fail."

"Hey," James retorted. "Beggars can't be choosers." And with that he swung his pillow at Peter.

- - - - -

A/N Thanks again for all who read and review and add this story to your alerts. Thanks also to Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Lots of love.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer - Usual. I don't own anything. Just having a bit of fun.

Chapter 10

"Where is he?" Sirius asked, growing impatient.

"You know Peter. He's probably 'wandering' again," James replied.

Remus would be gone for another day, and since they didn't have anything else planned, they decided to sit in on Quidditch practice, even though it wasn't a Monday. Peter volunteered to go on a kitchen raid, and when he got back, the three boys would head to the Quidditch pitch.

"Let's just leave him a note and meet him up there," Sirius suggested. He'd been unusually antsy now that they had so much free time. Since he was no longer safely doing detentions, he had begun to worry about the ominous letter his family had sent.

"Go ahead. I'll write the note. I want to take my snitch, but I have to find it."

Sirius rolled his eyes. He suspected James wanted to take the snitch so he could start showing off his skills to the team. Pretty smart, actually. "Okay." Sirius grabbed his cloak and headed outside.

Five minutes later, Peter ran into the dorm room, "Sirius!"

"Not here," James said. "He already headed up to the pitch. Where have you been anyway?"

Peter was momentarily hurt that Sirius hadn't waited for him, but then remembered why he had run all the way back to the dorm. His eyes grew large in alarm. "James, we have to find him!"

James' stomach knotted nervously, "Why, Peter?"

"I happened to walk pasted Sirius' cousin when I was coming back from the kitchen. I heard her mention Sirius' name, so I stuck around to listen. She's out for blood this time! Apparently, Sirius' mum talked to her mum and she got in trouble for not keeping him under control."

"Bloody hell! Come on!"

- - - - -

Sirius was heading to the Quidditch pitch when he caught sight of his cousin. He decided to try to avoid her by going outside and taking the long way to the pitch, around the castle instead of through it. It wasn't like he didn't have time to kill. But when he came around the north side of the castle, Bella, Rodolphus, Lucius and Narcissa were heading out the entrance. All they had to do was look around and they'd spot him. And spot him they did.

Bella's face immediately broke out in a sneer, and the group headed toward him. "Well, well. If it isn't my little cousin. Do you have any idea the trouble you've caused me?"

Sirius started backing up, but he really had nowhere to go, or to hide.

"Not so brave without your friends around, are you?" Lucius mocked.

"And four against one first-year is so honorable," Sirius spit back.

"You should know," Bella said. "There were four of you when you decided to pick on Snape. Speaking of which, where are your little playmates?"

"Coming," Sirius said, the answer sounding lame even to him.

Bella laughed. "Well then, we should make this quick!"

"And how exactly is beating the crap out of me supposed to teach me anything?"

"Aside from being highly amusing? It shows you what happens to those who stand against us. You should be standing with us, Sirius. You're family. You could be untouchable."

"Have you considered that maybe people don't want to touch you?" Sirius subtly pulled his wand out.

Bella let out a growl of anger. She conjured a handful of bluebell flames and threw them at Sirius. He used the extinguishing spell just before they hit him.

"Ah, you've been busy, haven't you?" Bella said, "_Expelliarmus_!"

Sirius tried to cast a shield charm but wasn't quick enough and his wand flew from his hand, landing at Bella's feet. She picked up his wand and wielded it like a second weapon. She then cast a stinging hex on him.

It wasn't an incredibly powerful spell, but it still hurt, shooting pain through his entire body, and Sirius stumbled backward. He wondered briefly where his friends were and then remembered that they probably wouldn't see him anyway. He had, after all, taken the long way.

"You are a Black and will act like one!" Bella yelled.

Regaining his footing, Sirius said, "What does that mean, anyway?" He was trying very hard to keep Bella talking until he could find a way out of this situation. Eventually somebody would have to come across them. "What does acting like a Black mean?"

"You were born to privilege. You conform to the family values and honor! You treat our name with respect! And you do not mingle with mudbloods, blood-traitors and commoners!" She hexed him again, and he took another couple of steps back, trying very hard not to fall to the ground.

"You would trade family for a few laughs with kids who will never understand you? They are nothing." Bella continued.

"They are my friends," Sirius ground out determinedly. Bella hit him again, causing him to step back further. But then, something unexpected happened. Sirius was hit very hard in his side, and it sent him flying through the air. He landed with a bone-jarring crunch some fifteen feet away. He rolled onto his back, stunned, not knowing what happened. He realized he was having trouble breathing and he couldn't move, but he was in shock and couldn't feel much. He also couldn't think of any spell that would do that to him.

Bella's face appeared in his field of vision. "You should learn to mind your environment, Sirius." She looked in the direction from which he had come. Sirius followed her gaze and saw… The Whomping Willow. He had stepped within reach of its limbs without even noticing.

"Sirius!" Sirius heard a familiar voice.

Bella glanced up, than she knelt down next to her cousin, placing his wand next to him. "You're either in this family or your out. And until you decide, one way or another, your life is going to be hell."

"Sirius! What happened?" Sirius looked around and saw Andromeda kneel down next to him. "What did you do, Bella?"

"I didn't do anything. Sirius just got too close to the tree."

Andromeda's eyes started filling with tears, and she ran her hand through her cousin's hair. "Oh Sirius."

Another voice called from a distance. Sirius recognized that one, too. It was James, and from the sound of the footsteps, he was not alone.

"Stand back!" This time it was Professor McGonagall that he heard. "What happened?" she demanded.

"Sirius got too close to the tree, Professor," Bella said in her sweetest voice. "We were just going to get help when you arrived."

From the look on her usually impassive face, it was obvious McGonagall didn't really believe that, but there was, again, nothing she could do. "Mr. Black, can you get up?" she asked, remarkably tenderly.

Sirius nodded and started to sit up, but a stabbing pain bore into his side and all the air left him. He yelped and fell back to the ground. The jarring motion of hitting the ground, however small the distance, sent new waves of pain through his side and he curled in on himself.

"Mr. Potter, go get Hagrid!" Professor McGonagall ordered. Hagrid's cabin wasn't far away. "Sirius, I need you to lie back and try to relax. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong." She wasn't sure if he heard her or not. He remained curled on his side, his eyes tightly shut, his one hand clutching his side while the other held onto the grass as if he thought he would float away if he let go.

"Where did the tree hit him?" she asked, looking back up at Bella. She was unnerved by the unconcerned and cold look in Bella's eyes.

It was Narcissa who answered, "I… I think it hit him on the side, Professor." Narcissa, by contrast, looked scared and was clinging to Lucius.

Professor McGonagall heard Hagrid quickly approaching. "Hospital wing. And be careful. I think he has broken ribs."

Hagrid nodded. For such a large man, he was incredibly gentle as he lifted Sirius off the ground. Sirius grunted again and was taking rapid shallow breaths, his eyes screwed up in pain.

In no time at all, Sirius was in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey rushed over as soon as they entered. "Set him down, set him down. Now out! All of you," she said, and drew curtains around Sirius' bed.

The group went into the waiting area. "Thank you, Hagrid," Professor McGonagall said and he left. "Now, would someone please tell me what exactly happened?" she asked glaring at each student in turn.

"I told you, Professor. Sirius just wandered too close to the Whomping Willow."

"Liar!" James yelled. "What did you do to him?"

Taking on a very condescending tone, Bella said, "Dear boy, Sirius is my cousin. I would never harm him intentionally."

"Mr. Malfoy?" the professor asked.

Lucius glanced at Bella before answering, "Yes ma'am. Sirius wandered…"

"Yes, yes 'wandered too close' to that tree. I take it all of you will back up that story?"

The four Slytherins nodded agreement.

"Fine. You are dismissed. Andromeda, stay a moment, please." Bella gave her sister a look of disdain before leaving. Once the Slytherins were out of earshot, McGonagall said, "Miss Black, do you know anything about what's going on?"

Andromeda glanced in the direction of the curtains behind which Sirius lay. She shook her head sadly, "No Professor. I'm not really kept in the loop when it comes to my family."

"You didn't see anything then?"

"I'm sorry, truly," Andromeda replied, with a meaningful glance at James, "But no. By the time I saw anything, Sirius was already on the ground… Though, I did notice that Bella had two wands in her hand. I'm assuming one of them was Sirius'."

With a sigh, Professor McGonagall said, "All right. Thank you. You may go."

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to stick around and visit Sirius."

"Yes, of course."

Andromeda sat down on one of the chairs lining the wall. She wished she had gotten there just a little sooner and had been able to be more helpful.

"Professor," James asked tentatively, "What's going to happen?"

"Unfortunately, nothing." James started to protest, but McGonagall held up her hand. "There's no proof. Yes, I heard what Peter said. That's why you came to get me in the first place. But my hands are tied. Nobody saw them do anything."

"Well, what about Sirius? What if he tells you what happened?" James asked.

"_If_ Sirius tells me what happened, then I can push a little harder. But it's still his word against four older students. One of which is a prefect. And his reputation doesn't exactly help his cause."

"That is such…"

"Mr. Potter! That is enough. There is nothing more I can do until Sirius is able to tell me what happened." Professor McGonagall walked over to the curtained area and said, "Poppy, I'll be back later to check on him." Then she left.

James and Peter sat down with a huff next to Andromeda. Sirius cried out behind the curtain and all three of them jumped, James hopping to his feet, but Andromeda laid a restraining hand on his arm. The anger that had been building since Peter had first burst into their dorm room finally came exploding out.

"Don't!" He yelled. "Where were _you_?"

Andromeda was a bit taken aback by this boy's reaction. "I didn't know!" she defended herself.

"Yeah, right! How could you not know? You're part of that family. You're their sister, for goodness sake! This isn't even the first time they've attacked him! You didn't know this was coming?"

Andromeda stood up to face her attacker. She was a good three inches taller than him and was impressed that he wasn't intimidated by either her height or her family ties. "I did not know this was coming. It's not exactly like they keep me in the know, and… wait… did you say they've attacked him before?" Some of the wind came out of her sails and she sat back down.

"Yeah, back at the beginning of the school year. Bellatrix threw him into a wall."

Andromeda raised her hand to her head and looked back at the curtain. Her eyes started tearing again. "Sirius," she said sadly. Looking back at James, she said, "Look, I'm not in the same house as my lovely sisters. We don't exactly get along. But… It's just… You have to understand. I'm the middle daughter. I don't really mean anything to the family. The most they can do is disown me. But Sirius… Sirius is the Black Family Heir. He's the oldest boy of our generation. And his mum is… a little crazy. They're going to try their hardest to break him."

James had heard Sirius allude to issues with his family, but he had just assumed Bella was the psychotic wildcard. "Will he… Will he be in danger when he goes home?" James asked fearfully.

Andromeda sighed, "I don't know. No. I don't think so. They've never hurt him before. I don't think they're likely to start now. That would cause other problems for them. Though, no doubt, that's why they've given Bella free reign. They can blame anything that happens on her."

James sat down again, feeling somewhat deflated, his anger gone. "He likes you, you know," James said with a smile. "I've actually heard him say nice things about you."

Andromeda gave a sad smile. "Yeah, he's pretty okay for a little cousin."

- - - - -

A/N Thanks again for the awesome reviews. I'm thrilled with the response this story is getting. You all are awesome. On a side note, were any of you disappointed with how underplayed the Marauders' scene was in the latest movie? sigh Much to little of my favorite boys, if you ask me. Anyway. Thanks again. And, of course, where would my author's note be without a shout out to my editors - Mom and mei mei - and my lovely beta (the awesome and talented) J.A.Carlton. Thanks bunches. Love.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer - Usual. I don't own anything in the Harry Potter 'verse.

Chapter 11

Though only a short time passed while James, Peter and Andromeda waited for word from Madam Pomfrey, it seemed like forever. But finally the curtain was pulled back and she walked up to them.

"He's resting," she said in a bothered tone. Madam Pomfrey always was protective of her patients.

"Can we see him, please?" James asked, nearly begging.

Madam Pomfrey surveyed the group before her and decided to cave. "Five minutes. And not a minute more."

They walked up to Sirius' bed. "And I thought you looked bad last month," James joked. Sirius looked pale and shaken, and his eyes were red and puffy, but there was no other sign of injury.

Sirius smiled, "I'm still better looking than you."

James snorted, but Andromeda rolled her eyes. "I see getting hit didn't affect your ego at all," Andromeda smiled, than looked at her cousin intently. "How are you doing, Sirius?" She asked, as she sat down in a chair next to his bed.

"Fine. Good, even. Madam Pomfrey really knows what she's doing. She's a little fussy, but…" Sirius trailed off.

James started fidgeting with the blanket on Sirius' bed. Having a good idea that he was about to upset his friend, James didn't look Sirius in the eye when he said, "So… Professor McGonagall said that if you tell her what happened, she can look into…"

"Nothing happened. I got too close to the Whomping Willow."

James stopped fidgeting and looked at Sirius angrily. "What do you mean nothing happened? Peter told me that Bella planned to attack you. I somehow don't believe that she just happened to be around when you decided to go blind and wander within reach of a deadly tree!"

It was Sirius' turn not to look his friend in the eye. "It is what it is, mate."

"You… What…" James stood aghast, unable to respond for a moment. "Do you want to die? Is that what it is?"

"What? No! It's just… The school can't do anything, so whatever I say will just be seen as me causing trouble."

"Not to mention weak," Andromeda threw in. She knew she'd hit the mark of what he was really thinking when Sirius winced at the word "weak."

He looked at her a moment and then continued, "Besides, I have to live with these people. _Live_. Like, when I go home. The school's not going to be there then. And next year, I won't have to worry about Bella anymore. This is her last year here."

"What about Narcissa?" Peter asked.

Andromeda spoke up again. "She's not like our sister. I mean, don't get me wrong. She's a Slytherin, through-and-through. But she, at least, has a heart. I think she follows Bella around because she's afraid of her."

"So… what? You're going to get the snot beat out of you every month until June? You've gotta say something, man," James urged.

"Hey, it gives me something to look forward to every month," Sirius smirked.

James just shook his head. "You're a right git, you know that?"

"You just think that because I'm so handsome," Sirius snarked, causing James to groan.

He threw up his hands in defeat. "I give up. You're supposed to be smart, Andromeda. Can't you talk some sense into him?"

Andromeda smiled. "Oh no. You have no idea how stubborn he can get."

"I'm getting that," James said.

"But… could I speak with Sirius alone?" she asked very politely.

James looked at Sirius, who nodded. "Right. We'll be over there." James grabbed Peter's arm and dragged him back to the waiting area.

"So are you okay?" Andromeda asked again. "And I'm not talking physically. I know Madam Pomfrey is very good."

Sirius looked at his cousin, contemplating his response. Really, he hadn't had much time to think about how he was feeling. He had been scared, then in incredible amounts of pain, then surrounded by people that actually cared about him. "Yeah," he smiled, "Yeah, I actually am."

Andromeda appraised him and seemed to be satisfied that he was telling the truth. "What are you going to do?"

Sirius shook his head. "I don't know. How do you do it?"

"Well, I don't antagonize Bella, for one. But our situations really aren't the same, and you know it."

"Do you ever get tired of being different?" Sirius asked his cousin. Bella had been right about one thing, the others would never totally understand him. He didn't understand himself; he couldn't expect them to.

Andromeda weighed this question in her mind before answering, "Sometimes. But then I remember that they're wrong, and I'm not really that different from other people - just my blood. And, despite what _they_ say, blood isn't everything... But you know that, too."

"Yeah." Sirius' eyes started to water and he rubbed them. "I'm pretty tired," he said, covering for his moment of weakness.

Andromeda nodded and leaned forward to give Sirius a hug. Then she kissed the top of his head, "I love you, little cousin." Sirius just nodded because he wasn't sure he trusted his voice.

Much to his relief, Sirius was saved further confrontation with his friends when Madam Pomfrey came in and shooed Andromeda toward the door, telling all three of his visitors they could come back later to visit.

Sirius looked around the hospital wing and noticed there was only one other occupant. The curtains were drawn around a bed at the other end of the large room. He wondered, vaguely, who the other person was and how sick he was to be so secluded. But soon his fatigue overtook him and he fell asleep.

- - - - -

Remus was awake, doing his class work, when there was a commotion at the other end of the hospital room. He got down quietly and peaked out from behind his curtained cubicle. His heart started to race when he recognized the form of the boy Hagrid was carrying. His first instinct was to go find out what had happened, but he quickly remembered that his friends thought he was at home. He ducked behind the curtain just as he heard James yell at someone from the waiting area. He listened as hard as he could and snippets of conversation floated to him, but they were too far away to get a clear understanding of what occurred.

He could, however, deduce what had happened. He saw Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Lucius, and Narcissa were all present, along with another pretty girl he'd only seen in the halls. She was a Ravenclaw and appeared to be in some distress. Remus thought that had to be Sirius' other cousin, the only one he spoke well of - Andromeda. He heard James call someone a liar, and he caught the words "Whomping Willow." Remus wasn't sure if the tree had actually hit Sirius, or if that was just what the quartet was using as an excuse for Sirius' injuries, but he knew Sirius had been attacked... again. Remus felt a pang of empathy, knowing what it was like to be faced with circumstances beyond your control – circumstances that seemed intent on causing pain.

The next thing he heard was James yelling at Sirius to report what had happened. By James' aggravation, he guessed Sirius wasn't going to comply. Some struggles weren't meant to be public.

Remus settled himself in his bed and went back to doing his class work. There was nothing he could do. He also needed to make sure that Sirius had no reason to get curious about who was behind the curtain, so he stayed as quiet as he could. He wasn't quite sure what he would do if Sirius was going to spend the night. They would both be due to return to the general population at the same time, but he couldn't be seen leaving the hospital wing with no real explanation of how he got there.

At supper time, Remus whispered to Madam Pomfrey, "How is Sirius?"

"He'll be just fine, dear."

"Madam Pomfrey…" Remus hesitated, "When will he be leaving the hospital wing?" Madam Pomfrey gave Remus a curious look. "It's… He thinks I'm at home. With my parents. That's what I told my friends."

"I see," she replied. She looked at Remus thoughtfully. "We can have him out of here before you're ready to go. He should be fine by morning."

"Thank you," Remus said with a guilty smile.

Madam Pomfrey turned to go, but hesitated. She turned back to Remus and said, "My dear, some burdens are meant to be shared."

Remus watched her go, and thought about what she said. She was probably right, he thought, starting the old debate in his head of who to tell and when. If nothing else, his friends deserved to know the truth about him. In the end, he decided he was just a coward, and wondered why he had been put into Gryffindor in the first place.

- - - - -

Sirius awoke with a start in the middle of the night. He heard grunting and groaning coming from the bed at the other end of the hospital room. The occupant must be having a nightmare. He debated what to do for a moment – call Madam Pomfrey, or try to wake the boy (as it obviously was by the sound of the voice) himself.

Sirius had just decided to try to wake the boy himself, and was getting out of bed, when Madam Pomfrey entered the room in her night clothes, holding a candle.

"Back in bed!" she commanded, and bustled down to the other end of the room.

In the stillness and quietness of the night, sound traveled a little clearer than it did during the day. Sirius heard Madam Pomfrey try to calm the boy. "Shh, child. You're all right. You're safe." When this did not work as well as she hoped, Madam Pomfrey said, "You need to wake up now, child. Come on. Wake up, Remus." There was a final jostling as the boy woke up, but Sirius' mind had suddenly stalled and he didn't hear anything else.

_Did she just say "Remus"? Couldn't be. What are the odds that another student at Hogwarts shares that name?_ His mind began to race with musings as to whether that was "their" Remus or a different one. And if it was "their" Remus, what was he doing at school? Had he gotten ill? Had he lied to begin with? Was it really him who was sick? After all, he did often look a bit peaked.

Long after Madam Pomfrey had gone back to bed, Sirius' mind was still racing. At last, he couldn't restrain his curiosity any more, so he got quietly out of bed and stole down to the other end of the room. He paused outside the curtain. Part of him did not want the person on the other side to be Remus. If it was, that meant he'd lied to them – to him.

Sirius reached out and pulled back the curtain and found himself staring into very familiar yellow-hazel eyes.

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks to all my awesome reviewers. You bring joy to this little fan-writer's heart. Thank you, thank you. Keep up the good work. ;) Thanks also to my editors - Mom and mei mei, and my beta - J.A.Carlton (if you like the tv show Supernatural, check out her stuff. She rocks!) Thanks to all.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer - Usual. Don't own. Not making money... Yadda Yadda

Chapter 12

Sirius and Remus stared at each other for about a minute. Remus was half hoping this was still part of his nightmare, though he knew it wasn't; while Sirius couldn't decide whether to punch Remus for lying or be concerned that he was in the hospital wing at all.

Somehow, finding out that it was Remus behind the curtain left Sirius drained, and he decided he was too tired to fight. He simply turned around to walk back to his bed.

"Sirius," Remus called after him. When he didn't respond, Remus got out of bed and followed him. "Sirius, wait." Remus caught up to Sirius and grabbed his arm to stop him. He just wanted a chance to explain. Though, explain what, he wasn't sure. Any explanation he had to offer would be a lie.

Sirius felt Remus grab his arm, and before Sirius knew what was he was doing, he spun on the spot and punched Remus. He was wrong; he did have some fight left in him. Unfortunately, the twisting movement irritated his rib. Though it was no longer broken, it was still tender and shot pain through his side. He winced and wrapped his arm protectively around his middle, while bending over slightly.

Remus reached up and touched his cheek gingerly. He probably deserved that, and he had no idea how to fix this. He looked at Sirius and noticed he was hunched over and seemed to be in pain. Without thinking, Remus reached out and put his hand on Sirius' shoulder, "You okay?"

Sirius nodded, while trying to steady his breathing.

Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her living quarters, but when she saw the boys in the middle of the room she hesitated, not wanting to interrupt. "You boys all right?" she asked.

Both boys answered in the affirmative, so after another moment's hesitation, she went back to her room.

The boys walked the rest of the way to Sirius' bed and sat down, Sirius getting back under his sheets.

"So what are you doing here?" Sirius asked, leaning back on his pillow.

Remus tried the only lie he had been able to think up when he first found out Sirius was staying over night in the hospital wing. "I… my mum… Dad decided to take her to the hospital this trip. I think it all made me ill, so when I got back I came straight here."

Sirius was quiet for a moment. He still didn't believe Remus, but he didn't really have a reason not to. Who was he to say that Remus' mum wasn't ill? And Remus did look a bit sick. "Is she going to be okay?"

Surprised that Sirius actually bought the story, Remus said, "Yeah, I'm sure she will."

"Are you going to visit her at St. Mungo's?"

"No. I… I don't think so." Remus started to get nervous again.

"Why not? I mean, don't families do that when one of them is in the hospital? I would think the school would let you off to visit her. Especially since they let you go home once a month."

"I don't really want to miss more school. Besides, she'd not that bad. I think Dad's going to bring her home when he gets back." The more Remus talked, the less plausible his story sounded. Why did Sirius have to keep asking questions? Remus also noted that Sirius had caught on to a monthly pattern to his "visits" home.

"I don't get it." Sirius said.

"Get what?"

"Why would your dad have you come home to take care of your mum, just to turn around and put her in the hospital? And then you're not even visiting with her. If she's bad enough to need a hospital, I would think you would want to be there. And if she's not that bad, then why was she put there if you normally take care of her?"

"Why does it even matter to you? Why do you care where my mum is? Why does it bother you so much?" Remus asked hotly.

"Because you're my friend! And I get bothered when someone I consider my friend is lying to me!" Sirius returned, just as upset. He hadn't really meant to say the last part out loud but, as usual, his mouth got the better of him.

Remus didn't say anything in response. What could he say?

"Are we friends?" Sirius asked.

Without having to think about the answer, Remus answered, "Yes."

"Then look me in the eye and tell me your mum is sick and you go home to take care of her every month."

Remus looked Sirius straight in the eye and said… nothing. He couldn't do it. He dropped his head and stared at his hands. Much to his surprise, he felt Sirius nudge him.

"Thank you," Sirius said quietly, and lay back down on his pillow.

Remus nodded. He felt better knowing that his lie was exposed, but the truth was still hidden and he wasn't sure what to do with that.

"So why are you here?" Sirius asked.

When Remus looked up at Sirius, who had a smile on his face and curiosity shining through his eyes. Remus smiled back and hit his head in mock exasperation. He fell back onto Sirius' bed, lying down next to him, with his feet propped up on Sirius' pillow.

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," Remus snarked.

Sirius chuckled, then nudged Remus' legs. "No, really… Why are you here?"

Remus rested his head on his arm so he could look at Sirius, "No, really… I can't. It's… It's a secret."

Sirius hrumphed, but decided to let it go for now. Remus had finally been honest – sort of – he didn't want to lose the ground he'd gained in building trust.

"So what are you going to tell the others?" Remus asked hesitantly.

"Nothing. What's to tell?" Sirius answered. _But I will find out_.

Remus nodded appreciatively. "And, why are you here, if I may ask?"

"Me? I decided to get up close and personal with that Whomping Willow. It didn't really appreciate my advances," Sirius said with a grin.

Remus laughed, but it was his turn to push. "Uh-huh. And your audience for this romantic failing just happened to include our favorite Slytherins?"

"Yup. You know - family sticks together through, um… how's that go?"

"And who's lying now?" Remus said gently, not wanting to cause another row.

"Well, I'm not completely lying. I was hit by the Willow. I just happened to get backed into it by my cousin."

"Are you going to tell Professor McGonagall?"

"No. What's the point? Bella's family. Can't escape from family."

"But she's just your cousin, right? I mean, it's not like you live with her. The school can stop her from doing anything while she's here, and I'm sure your parents wouldn't let her do anything to you."

Sirius chuckled humorlessly. "Right. She's acting on orders. My parents' orders. It doesn't matter. I've survived for eleven years, right? What's a few more?"

"So what are you going to do?"

"I've been thinking about that," Sirius said, with an evil smile spreading across his face. "Humiliations galore. We know enough good spells. I figure we can start attacking on whim. If she's planning on making my life hell, she can join me."

Looking at Sirius, Remus was forcibly reminded of the Cheshire Cat, and couldn't help but laugh.

The boys spent a couple of hours talking, planning and laughing until they eventually fell asleep. The next morning when Madam Pomfrey walked in, both boys were asleep on Sirius' bed, heads at opposite ends. She couldn't help but smile. She didn't know if Remus had told Sirius his secret or not, but somehow, she didn't think the other boy would care, and that gave her hope that Remus would be all right in the end.

- - - - -

A/N – For those who are wondering, "humiliations galore" is taken from The Princess Bride movie – one of the best movies of all time. I don't own rights to that either, sadly. Oh… and the Cheshire Cat is from Alice in Wonderland – and no, I don't own that either. Sorry this chapter is so short. I like to think of it as "short, but sweet." Thanks, as usual, to all those who so kindly take the time to review. Thanks to all of you who've added me to your alerts and favorites lists. That's awesome! Thanks also to Mom, mei mei and J.A.Carlton. You know what for. :)


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 13

November brought with it colder weather, the opening of the Quidditch season (for which James was ecstatic), and pranking, the likes of which Hogwarts hadn't seen for years.

What started off as revenge, soon became a favorite past-time for the Marauders. And unfortunately, once they found the humor in hexing even each other, no one was safe – everyone became a potential target. The nastier pranks – boils and invisible tacks on one's chair, and the bat-bogey hex – were held in special reserve for Sirius' cousins and Snivellus. They also tried other spells, just to see what they would do. James showed up at Transfiguration one day with a pair of antlers. He was very non-plussed by the addition to his anatomy, but the rest of the class found the antlers, and Sirius' constant bouts of laughter, distracting; so Professor McGonagall docked ten points from Gryffindor and removed them.

One night the boys decided to see how many bubbles they could make come out of their wands. After a long night of studying at the library, Corbin, the prefect, opened the portrait hole to his common room and was greeted by a flood of golden bubbles, which poured over the threshold and out into the corridor.

Bella was on the receiving end of the instant-scalping hex, and she screamed bloody murder. Sirius told Bellatrix that he'd gone too far and offered to help her. He then cast a fur spell, causing fur to grow all over her body. He learned quickly that he was faster than his cousin, and that it was possible to dodge spells.

For the first Quidditch game of the year, Gryffindor verses Slytherin, the boys changed their own hair color so half their heads were red and the other half gold. Whenever Gryffindor scored points, they shot sparks out of their wands. That actually caught on, and most of the Gryffindors were shooting red and gold sparks by the end of the game. It had been close, with Gryffindor and Slytherin being tied for much of the game; but in the end, the Slytherins' seeker caught the snitch for the win.

The Gryffindor defeat hit James hard, especially in light of the personal war he was waging with several of the Slytherins, and this brought the first real lull in pranking. Finally, Sirius decided to call in a special favor to cheer up his best mate. The Marauders grabbed James' invisibility cloak and headed out for a late-night venture. Sirius led them down to the Quidditch changing rooms. When they went inside, sitting in one corner was the chest that held the Quidditch balls and two brooms. James eyes lit up with excitement.

"How did you arrange this?" James asked.

"Andromeda. She's dating Ted Tonks, you know, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain. She lent us her broom. Ted wouldn't risk his, so I'm not sure where she got the other one. Ted just asked that we only use the Quaffle."

"Excellent!"

Each of the boys had had flying lessons as part of the first-year curriculum, but only James and Sirius had any real experience. James' father had allowed him to ride his broom often and they would play catch with a ball his dad had charmed to act like a Quaffle. Sirius had been taught to fly early because he was expected to excel at everything and if that meant giving him a head start on the other students, his parents were not above that.

The four boys went out to the pitch under cover of night and the cloak. James walked to the middle of the playing field, closed his eyes, and smiled. After a moment, he mounted the borrowed broom and took off like a shot, circling the stands.

"So… who wants to go first?" Sirius asked the remaining two.

"You go, Sirius. This was your idea," Remus said.

Sirius nodded and he also took off. He and James spent a good hour tossing the Quaffle back and forth and chasing each other around the field before gliding to a landing. Remus and Peter had both fallen asleep.

"Aww. They're so cute when their sleeping," Sirius said with a smirk.

James walked over to the boys and poked them. Remus woke up right away, but Peter, as was usual, remained asleep.

"What should we do? Levitate him?" James asked.

"Sounds good to me," Sirius said.

"_Mobilicorpus_," James whispered. Peter rose off the ground, as if attached to invisible marionette strings, and floated eerily in front of them. Once inside the castle, they had to make sure he didn't get too far ahead or too far off the ground, so the cloak would continue to cover all of them.

Turning down a corridor that led to the Gryffindor Tower, they saw Mrs. Norris. They stopped dead in their tracks to better listen for the sound of approaching footsteps. It seemed odd to James that Mrs. Norris stared intently at the boys, and he wondered if she could actually see them, or if she just knew they were there, by sound or smell or some other sense. Sure enough, they heard the tell-tale sound of Filch's approach. The boys pressed themselves against the wall in hopes that, when Filch entered the corridor, he would walk right past them. Peter, still hovering, bumped a picture frame, causing it to shift. When it did, the wall opposite the boys opened up to reveal a secret passage.

The boys looked at each other and then dashed to the passage, as quickly as one can "dash" under cover of an invisibility cloak while dangling a friend in front. They made it inside, and had just managed to close the wall, when they heard Filch's voice.

"Where are they, my dear?" he asked, sounding slightly winded. There was, of course, no answer, and soon they heard the sound of his retreating footsteps.

Once safe, the Marauders looked around in awe of their new discovery.

"Excellent!" said James.

"We have got to explore this," added Sirius.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Remus interjected, "but it's nearly dawn and we do have classes to attend. We can always come back another night."

Sirius and James considered this, then agreed they would have to make plans to explore later. It would be helpful to have Peter awake for this, since he had such an extensive mental map of the castle already.

"I wonder how many other passages there are?" James thought aloud.

"Well, according to Hogwarts: A History, Rowena Ravenclaw enchanted the castle to shift and adjust according to the needs of the students and faculty, sometimes adding whole rooms and wings to the school. I would imagine all that shifting around has left a lot of passages."

"You knew this and didn't share?" Sirius asked indignantly.

"Well, it's not like anyone asked. And I didn't really think about it."

"You didn't…" James' said haltingly, sounding mystified. "What kind of Marauder are you? I am highly disappointed, young man." James put his hand on Remus' shoulder, sounding very fatherly.

"We'll turn you into a proper Marauder yet," agreed Sirius, with a mischievous grin.

"Great," Remus said sarcastically. "Mind if I get some sleep first?"

"Right," James said, continuing his fatherly tone. "Off to bed now."

The four of them made it back to the dorm without any more run-ins. Being as quiet as possible, so as not to awaken Addison, James lowered Peter onto his bed and the other three climbed into their own.

Sirius snickered and whispered, "Can't believe he slept through all of that."

- - - - -

A/N - So, is everyone else enjoying the last book? I'm about half-way through. Can't wait to finish to find out how it ends. Anyway, not sure if ya'll are going to read this right away since the new book is out, but I thought I'd post anyway. Thanks to all who read. Thanks to all who review. And thanks to those who add me to their alerts and favorites lists. I feel the love. :) Thanks of course to my editors Mom and mei mei, and my beta J.A. Carlton. Love to you.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer - Still own nothing. Definitely not making a profit.

Chapter 14

The Marauders soon had to learn the meanings of the words "moderation" and "self-control." James and Sirius were so excited about the new possibilities opened to them by the discovery of the secret passage that they were up every night for a week exploring. This, however, left them exhausted during the day.

Remus, being the voice of reason, suggested, "Maybe we should only explore on the weekends. That way we can sleep in and it doesn't affect our performance in class."

"My performance is just fine," Sirius said, mildly irritated from lack of sleep.

"Yes," James added, while laughing. "Everyone was very impressed with your impression of a rag doll as you slid from your chair onto the floor in History of Magic."

"Well, come on… Professor Binns. I'd fall asleep anyway. By the way," Sirius turned to Remus and said in his sweetest voice, "Remus, I don't suppose I could borrow your notes from class? Hmm?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Of course. But I'll expect compensation."

Looking surprised and mildly suspicious, Sirius said, "Like what?"

With a hint of a smile, Remus answered, "Oh, I'll think of something."

Sirius looked nervously at James, who simply smiled and shrugged.

The incident with the Whomping Willow had an interesting effect on Sirius' reputation at the school. Since the true circumstances had not come to light, Sirius had been able to spin the tale of what had actually occurred. Much to his cousin's dismay, he came off as being a bit of a daredevil. This only served to enlarge his ego, and Remus decided it was up to him to deflate it a little. So one day, as payback for letting Sirius copy his notes, Remus decreed that Sirius was to wear a rather large, gaudy hat on his head that alternately flashed the phrases, "I have a big head" and "But Remus is smarter." Far from deflating Sirius' ego, he walked around school proudly displaying his hat. Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher, actually laughed when she saw it, and Professor Binns stopped talking for nearly thirty seconds when he noticed it, before droning on with the rest of the lesson.

At lunch that day, much to Remus' horror, Sirius stood up on the Gryffindor table and waved his hands to get everyone's attention.

"I have an announcement," Sirius said, still proudly wearing his hat. "I just want to say, Yes, I have a big head, and yes, Remus is smarter, but I'd rather be good-looking than smart."

Despite being crimson from embarrassment, Remus, true to the Gryffindor spirit, found the courage to interrupt, "It's too bad you don't have that either, mate," causing gales of laughter to fill the Great Hall.

Sirius laughed right along with everyone else. Then he hushed the crowd again and continued, "Well, I may not be as pretty as James," who tried to hide his face at the mention of his name, "But you interrupted. That wasn't the point. Thank you, Oh Great One, for vigilant note taking and tutoring of those with less mental capacity than yourself." And with that, Sirius bowed deeply and applauded his friend. The rest of the school, minus the Slytherins of course, joined in with cheers and laughter. Remus stood and took a bow, Sirius jumped off the table and took his seat next to "The Great One," and they finished their meal with much laughter and joking.

Sirius later made a hat, identical to his, for Remus that said "The Great One," and one for James that said "The Pretty One." For Peter, he made one that said "The Fearless Explorer." After tackling Sirius and beating him with their pillows, the boys swore they would never wear their hats, but they proudly hung them on the posts of their four-poster beds.

Toward the end of November, Remus packed his bag for another trip home. Sirius watched him but, much to James' surprise, he didn't say anything. For his part, Remus did not make eye contact with Sirius, and an uncomfortable silence settled on the room. Keeping his eyes on the floor, he turned in the doorway to say goodbye.

Then Sirius said in a quiet voice, "Take care of yourself, mate."

At this, Remus looked up and their eyes locked on each other. Something passed between them that James couldn't read and, a moment later, Remus turned and left.

Sirius was still looking at the door when James asked, "What was that all about?"

"Mmm," Sirius said. "I'm just thinking. When Remus gets back, I have an idea for something we should do." That really had nothing to do with what he had been thinking, but he was keeping his word that he wouldn't say anything.

"This isn't like your idea to switch out the Slytherins' shampoo with a hair removal potion, is it?" James asked skeptically.

"No! But I still say that's a good idea."

"Or your idea to put a silencing charm on Lily Evans?" Peter added.

Sirius smiled and glanced at James. "Well, come on… Can you blame me?"

"Or exchanging all the chalk with taffies?" James continued, though he had started to laugh.

"Okay, that one was kind of lame. But in my defense, I was really hungry… And tired."

After waiting a minute for further response, James prompted, "Well?"

"Huh? Oh. It'll keep until Remus gets back."

When Remus did return, he asked, "So, what did I miss?"

"Well, Genius over here has another brilliant plan," James answered, still bitter that Sirius wouldn't give in and tell him what it was.

Remus looked suspiciously at Sirius. "Oh? As brilliant as the time…"

"All right, already!" Sirius said defensively, "It's called brainstorming for a reason, you know."

Remus snorted, "Yeah, it must get pretty stormy up there. Lots of wind and pretty lights." The other boys started laughing.

"Ha, ha. No, this one is actually good. I was thinking…" Sirius paused for effect.

"Good start," Remus muttered.

Sirius made a face at him and continued, "We should create… a map of Hogwarts!" His suggestion was met with less than enthusiastic stares. "No listen. I'm not talking about a map to get to class. I'm talking about a map that includes the secret passages and how to access them. That sort of thing."

"But the castle changes every so often," Remus offered argumentatively.

"Yes! Exactly! So we enchant the map to change with the castle. Then we'll always know where things are and the quickest routes and…"

"The best hiding places and escape routes," James jumped on board the mischievous Marauder's Express with Sirius, seeing the value in something like that.

As he listened, Peter saw his place in the group slipping away and had trouble mustering enthusiasm for the new project.

Remus continued to play devil's advocate. "Do you know how much work that's going to take? And the kind of spells that would require...? Besides, Hogwarts is unplottable. I don't know if we _can_ make a map of it." Though he was excited about the possibilities, he was also hesitant. Once they found all the secret passages in the school, would they also investigate outside the school? His passage to the shack might be discovered, and though they wouldn't know he used it, necessarily, it could cause problems.

"It sounds very complicated," Peter added.

"Ah, but that's why we need you," Sirius said.

James picked up the thread. "Right. Peter, you have the most knowledge of the castle, but if it's even half as complex as Remus indicated, it might take years to find all the passages. You're the best man for the job. And in that time, Remus' excellent research skills could help us find the perfect spells."

"And we're not trying to plot Hogwarts, just map it out, so I think we'll be fine there," Sirius jumped back in.

Peter went from feeling dejected to feeling important again, and suddenly found himself very excited. Remus considered what they had been able to accomplish in just a few months, and thought they would definitely be able to find the answers they were looking for. It was a challenge, anyway, and Remus was not one to back down from challenges, especially those that involved using his mind.

Remus nodded and smiled. "Okay, I'm in."

Peter also nodded enthusiastically. "So when do we start?"

James laughed. "That's the spirit."

He and Sirius exchanged glances. They were going to rule the school.

- - - - -

A/N Well, I've finally finished Deathly Hallow, so anyone who wants to discuss... feel free to pm me. Thanks again for the kind reviews and the additions to alerts/favorite lists. I may soon have an ego to rival Sirius'. Just kidding. But truly, thank you. Thanks also to my faithful editors, Mom and mei mei, and beta, J.A.Carlton. Love.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer - Nope. Still don't own the 'verse. Thanks Rowlings, for the inspiration.

Chapter 15

The Marauders were kept busy between school work and work on the map. They also continued to practice new spells they came across. But with the approach of the holiday break, the mood of the castle became more festive and it eroded the attention spans of the four boys. Sirius in particular seemed to be having trouble concentrating, and he vacillated between staring quietly at a page of text for minutes at a time to hyperactivity.

On one particular night, Sirius had managed to snag one of the coveted chairs by the fire and he was sitting, staring into the flames. Remus and James were sitting on a couch not far away; Peter on the floor in front of them doing classwork.

James nudged Remus and whispered, "So what do you reckon?"

Remus followed James' gaze to Sirius and shrugged, "Think it has to do with him going home over the holiday."

"He wrote home and asked if he could stay at the school, but his mum said no," Peter added matter-of-factly, not looking up from his scroll.

Remus and James stared at the back of Peter's head for a moment. "I don't even want to know how you know that, Peter," James said in a slightly chastising tone. Peter just shrugged. Turning back to Remus, James asked, "Should we talk to him?"

"No," Remus replied. "He'll talk when he's ready."

A week before holiday break, Sirius and James were watching the Gryffindor Quidditch team practice. It had been a couple of months since Peter had stopped coming out with James. Between the time needed to do assignments, with extra tutoring from Remus, and thinking James was insane because he sat through practice no matter the weather – honestly, Peter thought a hurricane could come down on the school and, if the team practiced, James would sit through it – Peter had stopped coming. The boys had decided that none of them should travel anywhere alone and Sirius, having nothing better to do, had taken Peter's place. For all his teasing, Sirius really loved the sport, almost as much as James.

About halfway through practice, James noticed that Sirius had gotten unusually quiet. He leaned back in his seat so he was shoulder to shoulder with the other boy. Sirius was looking up at the stars.

"Did you know that Sirius is the Dog Star? Brightest one in the Canis Major?"

James nodded, wondering where Sirius was going with his train of thought.

"Sirius was also the name of Orion's favorite pet dog. He was said to follow Orion everywhere."

Again, James just nodded.

"My father's name is Orion," Sirius stated simply. He was silent for a time before continuing, almost in a whisper – giving voice to things he'd never spoken aloud before – "I hate my family." There was another long pause.

James had known Sirius was dreading going home for the holiday, but he had not realized the extent of his friend's anxiety.

Sirius finally continued, "I'm a dog to them, James. That's all I am. A dog to be put in a show. Or… they would show me if I was good enough for them. But I'm not." He chuckled sadly, "I'm not even a good show dog."

James thought as hard as he could. Surely there had to be something he could say; something that would help his friend. But his mind had gone blank. He loved his parents and had no doubts that they loved him, so he had no frame of reference for what Sirius was going through.

They watched the rest of practice in silence and when it was over, Sirius nudged him and said, "Let's go."

Out of the cold dark night and back in the warmth and light of the castle, the light that was Sirius seemed to rekindle a bit, however forced, and by the time they got back to the common room, he was joking about the practice, whether or not Peter had finally gotten the latest wand movement Remus was trying to teach him - anything that would keep his mind off of going home.

James did not sleep well that night, worrying about his best friend. But as the holiday approached, and Sirius continued to pretend all was well, James was able to pretend, too, and he soon set aside his friend's words.

The Marauders did decide that, in honor of the upcoming holiday, Gryffindor needed to have a party. They were pleasantly surprised when they were able to convince a few of the older students to help by bringing supplies back from Hogsmeade. And even the Gryffindor prefects agreed to sanction the party. It was held the night before the train left for the holidays.

Lily, who loved Christmas, was also willing to help the boys with the party. As it turned out, Lily was not only very good at Potions, but also very good at Charms, and she put her skills to use coming up with creative decorating ideas. She hovered a small evergreen over a bowl and turned the tree into a fountain with pumpkin juice dripping off the needles and collecting in the bowl beneath. She and her friends decorated with floating bubbles and candles that burned with different colored flames. They also hung garlands on the banisters and around the ceiling. Lily also set up a small nativity scene in one corner and hovered a small ball of fire over it to act as the star. Making the animals and people come to life was beyond her transfiguration skill, so she settled for the animals making noises when people walked by. The boys found Lily and her friends to be rather enjoyable company when they were working together.

The Marauders provided the food and nicked a formerly-confiscated wizard radio from Filch's office. At midnight, all the Gryffindors lit the red, green, and gold sparklers the boys had been provided. A grand time was had by all.

The ride home on the train was rather awkward for the four boys, and filled with uncomfortable silences. Sirius was worried about what life would be like when he got back home. The other boys, too, pondered how things had changed in their time away. Remus' homecoming was made less enjoyable by the fact that the full moon was tonight, so he would not get a chance to just spend time with his folks when he got home. It would be off to the basement right away.

When the train pulled into the station, all of its cars emptied onto the platform. As the students gathered their luggage, they looked around for the familiar faces of their parents.

Remus was the first to spot his parents, and he invited the other boys over to meet them. While they were making their introductions, Peter's mum joined the group. She gave Sirius a suspicious look when Peter introduced him and then told him to "come along, it was time to leave." Peter leaned toward Sirius and whispered an apology before hurrying after her.

"Sirius Black!"

Sirius cringed as the loud, grating voice of his mother called from behind him. He looked at the other two boys and shrugged. "Mother," he said with a nervous laugh. When he turned to look at his family, the first thing he noticed was that his brother wasn't with them. He frowned at this and wondered where he could be. He also noticed that his parents had stopped quite a distance from the Lupins. They obviously did not want to lower themselves and risk having to speak to them. Sirius figured that, in his parents' mind, if they didn't know who you were, than you weren't a pure-blood and you weren't worth knowing.

"Later mates," he said, and walked to his parents.

James and Remus watched him go, both with a concerned look on their faces.

"James," the loving voice of his mum called to him. He turned and smiled as his parents walked over to him and the Lupins. They introduced themselves and the parents engaged in small talk for a few minutes.

Remus began to get antsy, which was rather unlike him. "Mum."

"Yes dear?" his mum looked at him. A silent conversation passed between them and she turned back to the Potters. "It was lovely meeting you, but we really need to be going. Wonderful meeting you, too, James."

They all shook hands again before parting. James watched Remus go, feeling like he was missing something important. He was brought back to the present when his father placed his hand on his shoulder.

"So, son, tell me all about your first term."

James looked up at his grinning father, and willingly complied.

-----

A/N Thanks again for the very kind reviews and the alerts. Ya'll know how to make this little author's day. Thanks also to Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Love.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer - Still don't own it. But I'm having fun.

Chapter 16

The Lupins owned a car and had decided to use this mode of transportation to get them to their home. It would ensure time to talk and catch up with each other, while still getting them home by evening.

"How are things going at school, dear?" Mrs. Lupin asked her son, from the front seat.

"Good. I'm learning a lot and I've even made some friends." Remus noticed his father and mother glance at each other.

"And… do they know about… you?" his mum asked.

"No." Remus had a lot of things he wanted to add to that statement, like: he didn't know how much longer it would take them to figure it out, or that he hated lying to his friends, or would it really be so bad to tell them? But he kept silent.

His mum turned to look at him, her expression one of compassion. It was almost as if she had some idea what he was thinking. "It's for the best."

Remus nodded and looked out the window.

"So are the boys we met the same ones you got in so much trouble with?" Mr. Lupin asked

Remus smiled slightly, knowing he should probably be feeling guilty, but he didn't. "Yes sir."

"Tell us about them," Mr. Lupin requested.

Remus launched into a pleasant conversation about his friends. He talked about their finer points - how well they all worked together, how funny and smart they were, and how they helped him learn a lot. He was also honest about their flaws – how James tended to want things his way, Sirius was a bit arrogant, and Peter was a little slow. But nobody was perfect, and considering he lied on a regular basis, he couldn't really fault them too badly.

By the time they got home, they barely had enough time to eat before Remus had to make his way to the basement. His parents told him not to worry about settling in until the next day. When he had first stepped through the doors of his home, he felt warm and welcome. He relaxed, knowing there was no need to hide what he was here, acceptance was a given, though still appreciated. However, when he set foot in his basement, his anxiety skyrocketed and he had to stand still for a moment for fear of running if he tried to move. He was glad that his parents had lingered upstairs and sent him down on his own. He would not have wanted them to sense his fear. He had not realized how accustomed he'd become to the openness of the shack and, especially, to not being chained. He wondered how the wolf would react tonight.

Hearing his parents' footsteps on the stairs shook Remus out of his immobility, and he headed for the cage. He thought about asking them to just use the cage and not chain him, but he knew they did not have the same safeguards on the door to the main part of the house that the school had. If he got out of the cage, he'd get out of the basement. The chains were an extra precaution.

"C… " Remus' voice caught. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Can I use the old chains instead of the collar tonight?" He really hated the collar, though he had never before indicated that to his parents.

His parents exchanged looks. Remus had never before voiced a preference for how he was detained during a transformation.

"But you hurt yourself more in the chains," his mother said simply. She couldn't know what it felt like to be put in a collar, and Remus didn't want her to know. He knew that would just cause his parents more pain, so he nodded in submission to his fate. It was only one night, and then next time he would be back at school. He had never expected wanting to be at school for a transformation.

It wasn't until his parents left that he let a few tears fall.

The next afternoon, Remus awoke with no memory of the night before, just painful reminders that it had occurred. There was one positive side of his transformation being the night he got home: for the rest of his holiday, he could truly relax and enjoy the time with his parents.

- - - - -

Chapter 17

Peter was surprised when his mum announced that they would be spending Christmas with someone. As much as Peter liked his friends, he always felt a certain amount of anxiety around them. He was never sure of his place in the group and couldn't really understand how he had been lucky enough to befriend some of the brightest and most popular wizards of his year. He knew he was not smart enough to get into Ravenclaw, so he never expected to be continually surrounded by boys who could out-perform him in almost every area. It did have several benefits, though. The Marauders' popularity was growing with each prank they pulled. The other students found them rather entertaining and very cool. This, of course, raised his standing in the eyes of the other students. He had opportunity to learn spells other students would not, at least for a few years, and learn how to use them creatively. He also had a constant tutor to help him through classes. He had actually begun to rely more on Remus' help than his own effort, knowing the other boy could carry him through his classes.

But coming home meant no more classes and no other students to impress, so that left Peter with just the anxiety of not quite being up to snuff. And this too he could cast aside at home.

Then his mother stated, quite unexpectedly, that they would be having dinner with a man. And this was with whom they would be celebrating Christmas. Peter didn't really know what he expected his mother to do while he was gone, but meeting a man was not one of them. It had been he and his mother for as long as he could remember.

"Peter, John's a very nice man. You'll like him. He'll be over for supper tonight. Do try to behave." It seemed his mother was as anxious of Peter meeting John as he was.

Mr. Wagner, or John as Peter's mum called him, was a rather pleasant man. He had a nice disposition and was not put off by the fact that Mrs. Pettigrew was the mother of a twelve-year-old boy.

"Where did you meet?" Peter asked, trying to make polite conversation while still finding out as much about this man as he could.

"We met at the apothecary's on Diagon Alley," he answered. "We were both trying to buy the same ingredients, so I asked your mother if she also was brewing her own cleaning solution."

Peter's mother giggled. "I think your exact words were, 'Are you brewing a beauty potion or are you naturally this attractive?'"

Mr. Wagner chuckled, and Peter rolled his eyes. Ever since Mr. Wagner had gotten there, his mum had been staring deeply into his eyes or giggling or leaning in to him, _and_ he had been reciprocating.

The whole thing irritated Peter. Who was this man to suddenly show up in his absence and demand so much of his mother's attention? Though really, he hadn't been demanding at all.

After another hour of watching the two twitterpated old people, which was just distasteful in Peter's book, he asked to be excused. "It was a long trip and I'd really just like to go to bed."

"Oh." His mother sounded a little disappointed. "Okay dear. I'll see you tomorrow then."

Mr. Wagner stood and reached out his hand. "Good to finally meet you, Peter. And welcome home."

Peter stared at him for a second, then shook his hand and nodded. "Yes sir. You too."

As it turned out, Mr. Wagner was around a lot. Even during women's tea, he remained at the house. He sat in the living room reading _The Daily Prophet_ as if he were the man of the house.

Peter, for his part, tried to make himself as scarce as possible. He could only hope that Mr. Wagner would not be around long. Not that his mum tended to meet men often. She didn't. In fact, Peter really couldn't remember it ever being anything but the two of them. And he liked it that way.

One night after Mr. Wagner had left, Peter's mum called him to the living room. "Peter, dear. Is there something the matter?"

"No," he answered sulkily.

"Now, now, dear. What is it? Does it have something to do with John?"

Peter looked up at his mum. "I don't like him."

Mrs. Pettigrew looked shocked. "But why?"

"I don't know. I just don't." Peter paused for a moment then continued, "Why do you have to spend so much time with him?"

It was Peter's turn to look shocked as his mum started laughing - not harshly, just gently laughing. "Oh my sweet Peter. Why I do believe you're jealous."

"Am not," Peter replied, sounding very immature.

"Peter." His mum still had a smile on her face, but she was looking at him intently, as if willing him to understand. "You know I will always love you. And you will always be my little man." Mrs. Pettigrew reached out and took her son's hand. "You are irreplaceable. But, sometimes, a woman needs someone her own age with whom she can… socialize."

"But you have your women's tea. You do a lot of socializing."

"Yes," she said a little sadly, "but it's just not the same. A man can never replace a good friend. But a good friend cannot replace a good man either. I like to think I have found a good man. And I wish you'd give him a chance."

Peter thought about what she said. He wasn't sure he understood it all. He wouldn't trade his friends for a girl, but he was not so naïve as to not recognize that adult men and women needed each other. With a sigh, he said, "All right, mum. For you."

Mrs. Pettigrew pulled her son into a hug and kissed the top of his head. "Thank you, dear."

And Peter did try. He and Mr. Wagner even went shopping in Diagon Alley for a gift for Mrs. Pettigrew. While they were eating ice cream, Mr. Wagner said, "You know, Peter, your mum talks about you all the time."

"Really?" Peter asked.

"Oh yes. She's told me all about you. How bright you are. How well you've been doing at school, though I hear you got into a spot of trouble earlier."

Peter blushed, "Oh that. My friends and I just pulled a little prank."

"I understand. Believe it or not, I was a boy once, too. I think she just worries about you, like any good mother would."

Peter smiled. It was comforting to know that he was not forgotten when he went away. "Did you really try that line on my mum?"

"I did," Mr. Wagner answered with a smile. He winked when he added, "Sometimes, it's not the words that are said, it's the attempt that's made."

Though Peter had to admit they got along, he just didn't like the man, and he was uncomfortable with him being around so much. Knowing that Mr. Wagner would be with his mum while he was at school made him feel replaced. He didn't think he'd ever get used this other man, but he also thought his mum could do worse.

- - - - -

A/N Um... These two chapters were extremely short, so I decided to post both of them together. Thanks again to "my" reviewers and those who've added me to their alerts and favorites lists. It's awesome and makes me smile. Thanks. Thank you also to my ever faithful editors - Mom and mei mei, and my beloved beta - J.A. Carlton (check out her latest Supernatural story!). Love.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 18

Once Sirius reached his parents, they turned and walked away, leaving him to follow. Sirius sighed. This was going to be a very long holiday.

He was not supposed to talk until he'd been addressed, but the lack of his brother's presence was rubbing him wrong until he couldn't keep quiet anymore. "Where's Regulus?"

His parents did not respond, they just continued to the disapparation point. Once there, his father turned and placed his hand on his son's shoulder - the grip almost painful – and they disapparated.

Upon landing inside the entrance hall of their home, Mrs. Black called out, "Kreacher."

The sycophantic elf appeared immediately, "Yes, my mistress?"

"Take Sirius' belongings to his room."

Kreacher looked at Sirius as if he hadn't noticed him standing there. "Yes mistress." He grabbed Sirius' belongings and headed toward the stairs. Sirius could hear him mumbling about "the ungrateful son's return." He also caught words like "shameful" and "a disgrace."

Sirius had learned to ignore the house elf, for the most part, but its mumblings confirmed what Sirius thought. His parents were not happy with him and wanted him to know it. Kreacher was the only house elf they owned with a propensity to mumble to itself, so it had been intentional that his mother called him.

Once the house elf was well on his way up the stairs, Sirius was led into his father's study. This further proved that things would not be going well this holiday. His father sat down in his chair behind his desk. His mother hovered near the door – to cut off any escape, Sirius thought.

"Son, you're mother and I have discussed you're… education, and it appears to be… lacking. Until this can be rectified, we have decided it best that you have limited interaction with your brother. We do not want you tainting him with any wild ideas you may have picked up from your… associates."

"What?" Sirius interrupted angrily. His father only glared at him for interrupting, but he heard his mother take a step closer to him from behind.

"Therefore, until such time as you can prove yourself capable of self-control, and that you are making headway in your studies, you will not see Regulus for more than an hour at a time, and then only supervised."

"What?" Sirius demanded again. His brother was the only thing he had been looking forward to on this trip home. "You can't keep me from my own brother!" His mother took another step forward, and Sirius tensed.

His father only lifted an eyebrow. "Disrespecting us is not going to help you see your brother any sooner. Am I clear?"

Sirius was so angry he was having trouble moving. His whole body seemed to have locked up on him, but he jerkily nodded his head and ground out, "Yes sir."

"You are dismissed. Go to your room." Sirius turned to leave. He was almost at the door when his father spoke again, "And Sirius… The stunts you pull at school will not fly in this house. If we catch you sneaking anywhere or doing anything out of line, you will lose the privilege of seeing your brother entirely."

Again Sirius forced out a nod and then left. Once he was at the stairs, he ran the rest of the way to his room and slammed his door when he got there. He was fuming, and there was nothing he could do. He paced his room for a time before the adrenaline wore off. Once it did, he plopped down on his bed and fell asleep.

Sirius woke up some time after midnight. His parents either hadn't called him for supper, or he hadn't heard the call. He hoped it was the former, as the latter would most surely cost him time with his brother. As it was, he was now wide awake with a grumbling stomach. He wished he had James' invisibility cloak. The thought of his friend put a smile on his face. After a few hours he fell back to sleep, only to be awakened a short time later by Kreacher.

"Young master, time to get up," he croaked.

Sirius sighed and rolled over. He got up, dressed, and went to breakfast. He was cheered considerably to see his brother sitting in his usual spot at the table. Maybe last night was some kind of nightmare. He smiled as he sat down opposite his brother.

Regulus looked up at Sirius. His eyes widened slightly and Sirius would have thought, if he didn't know better, that his brother was afraid. His smile dimmed and he gave his brother a questioning look. Regulus simply averted his eyes back to his food.

His mother interrupted his musings on this latest development. "Sirius, you will go to the sitting room for your studies…"

"Studies? I'm on holiday," Sirius questioned and, once again, immediately lamented his inability to hold his tongue.

His mother just glared at him while she addressed his brother, "Regulus, you may go to the play room after breakfast."

Sirius' studies, as it turned out, consisted of the usual pure-blood propaganda he had grown up with. It had never worked in the past; he wondered what made his parents think it would finally sink it this time. Sure, his brother added motivation for him to behave, but it wouldn't make him believe this stuff any more than he already did.

After his first full day back, Sirius had "earned" his first visitation with his brother. He went to the playroom where his brother was, his mother hovering like a vulture.

"Hey," he said awkwardly. He'd really been looking forward to the time with his brother, but now it felt very forced and unnatural. He couldn't relax with his mother so close.

Regulus looked up at him, the same fear flickering across his face, but was quickly masked this time. This pained Sirius, not only the thought that, for some reason he couldn't fathom, his brother was afraid of him, but also that Regulus felt he had to hide something from him.

Sirius approached his brother, who was playing with some Quidditch figures. "So how was life without me?" he asked in a light tone.

"Fine," Regulus said shortly. When Sirius reached for one of the figures, Regulus drew back and stopped playing with them.

Sirius sighed. _Okay, new plan_. Sirius got up and found a deck of Exploding Snap cards. Regulus had always enjoyed building card houses with him in the past. He also knew that his brother was very interested in Hogwarts, so Sirius started building the house and chatting about the school. He kept his tone light and jovial, trying to entice his brother into a conversation. His brother had gone back to the abandoned figures, but Sirius could see that he was listening intently to what he was saying. Eventually, Regulus' figures were abandoned again as he came over to Sirius and the deck of cards. After another minute or two, Regulus, still not talking, added a card to the house.

"Sirius," Mrs. Black said.

Sirius froze so as not to topple the house. He looked up at his mum.

"Time. Back to the study."

Sirius didn't move for a second – stunned by the abruptness of the end of their time together. He then turned to his brother and held out the card for him to take.

Regulus hesitated, but then took the card from his brother, causing Sirius to smile at him.

"Sirius!" their mum snapped, causing both boys to jump. Regulus dropped the card and it fell with a _BANG!,_ exploding the house Sirius had made. He looked at his brother fearfully, but Sirius winked as he continued to smile, then left.

Sirius found it very hard to concentrate after the visit with his brother. He was angry at the situation in general. Who ever heard of visitation rights to see your own brother who lived in the same house? He was relieved that Regulus seemed to finally warm up to him, but he was confused as to why that was necessary in the first place. It also left him deeply saddened that his parents had the ability to control so much of their lives.

He decided that he had to talk to his brother – alone – tonight.

"_Silencio_," Sirius whispered while pointing the wand at his feet. He hoped the silencing charm would hide his footsteps as he made his way to his brother's room. As quietly as he could, he slipped into the room and closed the door. Regulus rolled over in his sleep when the door clicked shut.

_Now, how to wake him without scaring him_. Sirius stood by the side of Regulus' bed for a minute, trying to think of the best way to accomplish this.

Regulus must have felt the presence of someone standing nearby because he suddenly rolled over. Feeling the presence and actually seeing someone there isn't quite the same thing, and the reality of it startled him. As soon as he saw his brother, he gasped and pushed himself against his wall.

"Shh," Sirius tried to hush him.

Regulus stared at him, wide-eyed, for a moment, than looked around his room as if he expected someone to be watching. "What are you doing here?" he whispered, the look of panic still on his face.

Sirius sighed, "I just wanted to talk to you. Alone."

"Why?" Regulus asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Because you're my brother. Why is that such a hard concept for everyone all of a sudden?" When Regulus didn't say anything, Sirius continued, "Why are you afraid of me?"

Regulus shifted uncomfortably. Admitting fear was admitting weakness, and Blacks were not weak. Sirius knew this, so he took advantage of it and climbed onto the bed next to his brother, who would not, now, move away from him.

Regulus did shift slightly so he could watch Sirius, but he did not move from where he was seated.

"So?" Sirius prompted.

"I'm not afraid."

"Well, what's the deal then? You barely look at me; you won't talk to me; you didn't want to play with me."

Regulus was feeling confused. His brother seemed the same as he always remembered, but his parents told him he was different. "Mum and Dad… they said you… weren't well. And I was to stay away from you unless I wanted to become unwell, too."

"What?" Sirius chuckled. "You don't actually believe that, do you?"

"Well… You didn't get into Slytherin. And you've been in trouble a lot at the school…"

"And when's the last time I've not been in trouble? As for Slytherin. Well, it's not like it's the only house, now is it?"

Regulus considered this a moment. "I guess not." He was silent as he thought some more. "Sirius?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you always in trouble?"

"I'm just having a bit of fun, that's all," Sirius said, smiling fondly at some of the memories playing through his mind.

"No, not at school. I mean with Mum and Dad. Why are they always so mad at you?"

"Oh," it was Sirius' turn to shift uncomfortably. "Because we don't believe the same things, I guess." Sirius didn't want to explain too much. He was afraid that some of what he said would be repeated by Regulus and his parents would find out he'd visited his brother.

"Oh," Regulus replied, not really understanding. He was three years younger than his older brother and, while that meant he didn't know as much, he had also not had the pressure placed on him of being "The Heir." Regulus was, in some ways, sheltered and naïve. And he didn't really see anything wrong with what their family believed.

Sirius got down from the bed. Before he left he whispered, "I'm glad you're not afraid of me."

The next morning, Sirius went down to breakfast. Like the previous morning, he saw his brother sitting at the table and he smiled at him. This time, his brother smiled back. Their mother must have noticed, however, because she asked, "Did you boys have a good night's sleep?"

"Yes ma'am," Sirius answered, before his brother could say anything. Regulus was young and he didn't always know when to keep his mouth shut.

"And you, Regulus?"

Regulus looked guiltily at Sirius, but answered, "Yes ma'am."

"Really?" Mrs. Black looked appraisingly at her youngest son. "You seem a bit tired. Nothing… interrupted your sleep, did it?"

Regulus looked down at his food. Sirius knew it was coming before it even happened. His brother broke like a dam and he spilled everything. "Sirius came and talked with me last night while I was sleeping."

Mrs. Black looked at her oldest son in a cold, calculating way. "Really?" Sirius was staring at his plate. She continued in a chilling voice, "I thought your father and I made it perfectly clear the conditions under which you would be allowed to visit your brother. And yet you chose to disobey us. Again."

"I just wanted to see my brother," Sirius whispered.

"And we've been allowing you that privilege. Had you stuck to the agreement, you would have been given time to play with him today as well."

"What agreement? I didn't agree to any of this!"

"DO NOT TALK BACK TO ME!" Mrs. Black yelled. She took a moment to compose herself before continuing. "You have lost that privilege for the week. If you demonstrate…"

"The week! That includes Christmas," Sirius looked up, both angry and feeling panicked. He loved spending Christmas with Regulus. The family almost seemed normal on that day. They got to be kids for a few hours.

"Well you should have thought of that! Now, as I was saying… If you demonstrate your ability to behave, we will revisit the idea of you spending time with your brother."

Sirius couldn't take any more. He stood up from his seat and threw down his napkin. "I hate you!"

"Sirius!" his mother gasped, taken by surprise by the words.

Sirius started to leave the room when Regulus' voice called his attention back. "Sirius?"

He was so angry he didn't think about what he was going to say until it was already out of his mouth. "And you!" he said, pointing at Regulus, "If you cared about seeing me at all, why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut for once?"

Regulus yelled back, "If you cared about seeing me, why couldn't you just behave for once?"

Sirius had no answer for this, so he turned and left, guilt building with each step. He ran all the way back to his room. _Is all this really my fault?_ If he just did what they wanted, life would be so much easier. How easy it would be to pretend. He wasn't even sure if it was all a matter of beliefs that separated him from his parents. He didn't really believe they were superior. He'd met plenty of half-bloods and muggle-borns who were as capable as any pure-blood he'd met. Take Lily Evens, for example. But was it as simple as a difference of opinion? He'd had differences of opinion with James and the others, but they remained friends. Was he just being difficult?

Sirius sunk to the floor by his bed, his head spinning and his heart heavy. There had to be an easier way. He wasn't even getting Christmas. Somehow, the absurdity of that statement made him laugh. He pictured his parents as Grinches, standing self-importantly on the top of Mt. Crumpit. This caused him to laugh harder. And soon he was laughing so hard, tears were rolling down his cheeks. After a few minutes, he calmed down. The heaviness was back, and he rested his head on his bed and stared out the window.

This was going to be a very long holiday.

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again for all the reviews and alert additions. (Thank you to Rebecca. I wasn't able to reply to your review directly, so thanks. I appreciate it.) Ya'll know how to make my day. Thanks also to my editors - Mom and mei mei, and my lovely Beta - J.A. Carlton (who's got a brand-spankin'-new Supernatural story up and it's awesome!). Thanks to all.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 19

James, by contrast, could not have had a better Christmas and he almost lamented going back to school. His parents had blessed him with quite an amount of Christmas plunder. He and his dad stayed up late one night talking about school and the pranks his father used to play. James had not known his dad had such a mischievous side, and he wondered how he ended up with his mum. It wasn't that mum was overly serious, he just couldn't see her approving of the things his dad had done.

They visited with a few friends over the holiday, which tended to be boring for James, since his parents' friends only had grown children. Of the few that had toys lying around, the toys were for much younger children – grandkids.

All in all, by the time James got to the train station, he was ready to return to school and eager to see his friends again.

James boarded the train and found Remus already in a compartment. The two of them had chatted for only a few minutes, when James noticed Sirius and his family walk down the platform. Sirius was once again in the lead. James noticed that Sirius got directly on the train, without a good-bye, and his parents just let him go. Once he was on board, they turned and walked away.

"Well, that doesn't look good," James commented to Remus, who nodded in agreement.

Sirius quickly found their compartment and smiled grandly at seeing his friends. "No Peter, yet?" he asked.

"Not yet," Remus answered.

James eyed Sirius suspiciously.

"What?" Sirius asked, when he couldn't take the staring any more.

"Did you have a row with your parents, mate?" James asked.

"Something like that."

James prodded, "Care to elaborate?"

"No!" Sirius snapped, then seemed to reconsider. With a sigh, he said, "You know, just the usual. I said, 'I hate you.' They said, 'Fine. You'll never see your brother again.' And life went on from there."

Remus and James were both looking at Sirius, disbelievingly. "What? They can't do that!" James said indignantly.

Sirius watched through the window as students said good-bye to their families "They can. And they did."

"Blimey," James said.

"Sorry," Remus said.

Just then, Peter entered their compartment.

"Peter!" Sirius announced his arrival with a smile, grateful for the distraction. "How was your holiday?"

"Ugh," Peter grunted. "Mum's got a boyfriend." Instead of finding any kind of sympathy, James and Sirius started snickering. "It's not funny," he said, and huffed as he took his seat.

"Is he not a nice man?" Remus asked concernedly.

"No, no. He's all right, I suppose. I just… don't like him."

Remus frowned, "Oh."

James' eyes glinted mischievously, "Did you catch them snogging?"

"Ew!" Peter shuddered. "No! And, Ew!" This caused James and Sirius to laugh even more.

The train ride back to school was much more pleasant than when they had left for the holidays. There was nothing looming over any of them, accept another term of classes, so the time passed with games and idle chatter.

As the students were milling about, waiting on the horseless carriages that would take them to the school, James heard the all too familiar, and unpleasant, voice of Snivellus. He glanced around and noticed that Snivellus was in the company of his usual crew, the Black sisters, Malfoy, Lestrange, Bulstrode, and Avery. Not wanting a confrontation, James started to push his fellow Marauders farther down the line of carriages.

"Hey!" Sirius responded to being pushed.

Remus looked around when James started prodding him. He, too, saw the group of Slytherins and picked up his pace, nudging Peter along as he went.

"Quit pushing," Sirius demanded. Unfortunately it was just loud enough to catch the attention of the very group James and Remus were trying to avoid.

"Being pushed around by your own friends now, Sirius?" Bellatrix asked coolly.

"Sod off," Sirius replied, and this time walked willingly away.

"How's your brother?" She asked, and chuckles could be heard coming from the other Slytherins.

Sirius stopped and turned to face her, his face set hard and his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Come on." James put a restraining hand on Sirius' chest and tried to move him in the other direction, but Sirius wouldn't budge.

"What? Nothing to report? Oh… wait. That's right... " With a laugh, she turned to her companions as if to explain something to them. "His parents wouldn't let him near his brother. Afraid he'd sully him."

Sirius whipped out his wand, "_Densaugea_." As he expected, Bella deflected that spell, but it left her open for another, so with barely a pause he shouted "_Expelliarmus_!" All the anger and frustration that had built up over the holiday, Sirius poured into the spell. Red light shot from the end of his wand and hit Bellatrix square in the chest. She was knocked off her feet and landed on her backside a few meters away.

Sirius smiled and casually tucked his wand back in his robes. He turned and walked toward a carriage, seeming not to notice as students backed away from him, allowing him to pass.

Remus watched the scene unfold with mounting apprehension. As soon as Sirius had turned to face Bella, a crowd gathered around them, encircling the Slytherins and Gryffindors. He watched as Bella poked Sirius' weak spot a second time. He was surprised when Sirius pulled his wand, surrounded by witnesses. He couldn't blame Sirius for his anger. But then he saw the cold calculation of Sirius' attack, and the object of his fear shifted from Bella to Sirius.

The second spell that Sirius had cast was a simple disarming spell. But the power behind it turned it into a weapon. The cold indifference in Sirius' eyes, and the satisfied smile that settled on his face afterward, caused Remus to be, for the first time, afraid of his friend. He found a certain irony in that. He had always been concerned that his friends would be afraid of him; he had not considered it possible to be afraid of them. He knew Sirius and James were both naturally talented; he had not thought of the raw power behind that talent or that it could be dangerous – misused, yes, but not dangerous.

Remus glanced at James. He was looking at Bella and gave a nod of approval, then quickly followed Sirius. Remus next looked at Peter. Peter was rooted to the spot, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Remus couldn't tell if it was a look of fear or awe – maybe both. Remus turned back to the Slytherins who also seemed surprised by the display of power from the young Black Heir. Bellatrix was getting up and, to Remus' surprise, she was smiling again.

"Sirius," she called, almost gently.

Sirius sighed and turned back to face Bella yet again.

"You're closer to being one of us than you think." As she spoke she ran her hands over her robes to straighten them, then bent down to pick up her dropped wand. The whole time she did this, she did not look at Sirius. It seemed she was completely unconcerned about the possibility of Sirius attacking her again.

Sirius lunged bodily, this time, but both James and Remus grabbed him before he could even take a step in Bella's direction. The two boys spun Sirius around and walked him to a carriage, Bella's quiet laughter taunting them from behind.

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again for all the reviews and alerts. I know - broken record again - but truly. Thanks. Thanks also to Mom, mei mei, and J.A. Carlton. Love.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer - Usual. I don't own the characters or storyline. Thank you, Rowlings.

Chapter 20

It was the day after their return to school. Classes had begun and the boys were just leaving Transfiguration.

"Mr. Black, a word," Professor McGonagall stated.

Sirius glanced at the others and nodded for them to continue without him. He then turned and walked up to the professor's desk, waiting quietly for her to speak.

"A disturbing rumor has reached my ears, Mr. Black, about a certain incident at the train station in Hogsmeade." Professor McGonagall looked at Sirius over the top of her spectacles.

Sirius stood silently, though his breathing increased in speed.

"Have a seat, Mr. Black. Do you know to what I am referring?"

Sirius sat, thinking about how to answer that question. He decided to play dumb. "No ma'am."

"Really? I was told that you attacked a Slytherin." She waited for a response, but when none came she continued, "Miss Bellatrix Black – your cousin." Again there was no verbal response, but Professor McGonagall noticed definite signs of agitation. Sirius had clenched his fists and was staring intently at some spot to the right of her, frowning. Professor McGonagall leaned forward, "Sirius…" She waited for him to look at her. "Sirius, I cannot help you if I don't know what's going on."

Sirius looked away again and said scornfully, "You cannot help me, anyway." Seeming to realize the tone he had taken, his face softened and he said, "I'm sorry, Professor. It's just a family thing."

Professor McGonagall decided to try the direct approach. "Did you attack your cousin?"

"She deserved it."

"That is not what I asked. Did you attack your cousin?"

Turning resolute eyes back to the professor, Sirius answered, "Yes."

Professor McGonagall seemed to consider what to do next. "Seeing that the incident occurred before the term started, I… will not deduct points or dole out a detention. However, be warned, Mr. Black. I do not take this incident lightly. Pranks are one thing; this display of malevolence was something else entirely. If you act out in such a way again, your next meeting will be with the Headmaster. Do not put your future at risk when you have the potential to be more than what someone else has dictated for you."

Sirius nodded his understanding, and he was genuinely touched by the professor's words. It had been a rare occurrence for him to be encouraged by an adult to do what he thought was right. His Uncle Alphard was the only one of his adult relatives who seemed to think he was heading in the right direction – away from the family. "Thank you, Professor," Sirius said quietly.

She stared at him sternly for another moment, then nodded and dismissed him.

Outside the room, the other Marauders waited for Sirius to emerge.

"So, what did she say?" James asked, almost immediately.

"She told me to behave," Sirius answered.

James whistled and Remus asked, "That's it?"

"Technically the event occurred before start of term. I got lucky."

"I'll say," Peter responded, amazed that Sirius had been let off so easily.

Smiling, James nudged Sirius. "Maybe ol' Professor McGonagall likes you, eh?"

"Well, you know," Sirius sniffed and pulled on nonexistent suspenders, "Minnie and I – we go way back."

The boys broke out in laughter and headed to their dorm.

Despite the turbulent start, second term went a lot smoother for the boys. They had a fairly established routine set from the previous semester at school. They went to class, went to the library, and practiced spells in some of their free time. James and Sirius went every Monday to watch the Gryffindor Quidditch practices, and they got to know the guys on the team fairly well. Remus helped Peter with his classes and Peter, in turn, helped Remus research. It wasn't his favorite thing to do, but Peter figured he owed it to Remus. They spent most weekend nights investigating the castle. Of course, there was also the pranking, hexing, and charming each other, the Slytherins, and everyone in between. Many detentions were served, mostly by Sirius and James but, to the surprise of all, they didn't really lose their house many points, except for that large sum deducted at the beginning of the year. And Remus continued to take trips "home."

The seventh-years were all preparing for their N.E.W.T.s, which meant that Bellatrix, Lucius, and Rodolphus were studying non-stop. None of the other Slytherins were willing to take on the Marauders without their fearless leaders. Besides, most of the Slytherins agreed it was a family issue and not their place to get involved. While Severus Snape never actively attacked the Marauders, he was one who enjoyed skulking about so he could get the boys in trouble for their deeds – which peeved James to no end.

Also during the second term, Professor Slughorn invited new students into his unofficial "Slug Club." James and Lily were the only first-year Gryffindors invited to join. It bothered James that neither Sirius nor Remus had been invited.

"Why do you reckon that is?" James asked one night.

"I'd guess it's either that he doesn't want to be associated with the dark arts or he knows I don't exactly get along with my family. That's why I'm out."

"What about you, Remus? You do well enough in his class… And I'm sure he knows you do quite well in the others, too."

_Probably doesn't want to be associated with a werewolf_. "Dunno," Remus said. "Don't really care, though." That wasn't entirely true. He knew his credentials were at least as good as a few other students who attended the meetings. And, if anyone needed connections, it was him. But he had come to accept, a long time ago, that he would be excluded from most things because of what he was.

"You don't care? That man has connections I could only dream of. I wish I'd been invited," Peter ended sulkily.

"Well… I'm not going anymore," James decided. He figured if his friends weren't good enough to be invited, he didn't think he wanted to be considered "worthy."

The end of year feast arrived on a relatively quiet note. It was announced that the professor who had taught Defense Against the Dark Arts for the past twenty years, Professor Huntsman, was retiring and next year there would be a new appointment to the position. And Hufflepuff managed to pull out the win for The House Cup.

Remus leaned over and whispered, "Slow and steady does win the race." The other boys nodded.

Hufflepuff usually did not win points for getting answers correct in class, but they were also least likely to offend or get into trouble. They managed to win the final Quidditch match of the season (which, to Sirius' amusement, nearly killed James), thus ensuring their victory for The House Cup.

The train ride home, however, was not smooth. James was the only one not experiencing some kind of anxiety. Peter was not looking forward to going home and finding John still around. From the letters he had received from his mum, John was becoming more prominent in her life – and Peter thought he had been around too much before.

Remus had mixed emotions about going home. He was looking forward to the break – no more school work, except the usual summer assignments, and, more importantly to him, no more lying. But he was not looking forward to being cooped up once a month in the small basement cell and the bloody collar. Also, Remus suspected that his friends were getting more suspicious of his monthly visits "home." Remus knew that initially the boys thought that the visits were random. Sirius was the first one to pick up on the fact that it was a monthly event. Sirius had not, as of yet, said this to the others, for which Remus was grateful, but he suspected that James had also caught on.

Sirius seemed to bounce around the emotional grid. He'd be angry one minute and anxious the next. He was very excited about being able to see his brother, whom he hadn't spent any real time with in nine months. But he was worried that he'd still have to earn the right to see Regulus, and didn't know if he would be able to accomplish that, the injustice of which angered him.

After three hours on the train, Sirius announced that he needed to take a walk. James and Remus exchanged concerned looks and James decided to follow him.

"I don't need an escort, James," Sirius said dully.

James held up his hands. "Hey, I'm just stretching my legs."

When Sirius remained silent, James started up a conversation. "So… what do you reckon is going on with Remus?"

Sirius glanced at James. He had pondered the same question many times since their night in the hospital wing. "Dunno. But… do his trips away seem rather…"

"Regular?" James supplied.

Sirius nodded. He suddenly stopped walking and was listening to voices in the compartment to his left. James gave him a questioning look, but he just put his finger to his lips to indicate James should be quiet.

"… We shouldn't be talking about this on the train. Someone might overhear."

Sirius glanced at James and mouthed, "Narcissa."

Lucius was next to be heard. "She's right. The Dark Lord would not be pleased to be discovered so soon. His plans…"

"Are already in motion. We're proof of that," Bellatrix responded.

"He's planning on getting the Defense Against the Dark Arts position next year." That was Rodolphus.

"And be so close to Dumbledore?" Lucius asked.

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," Bella answered coldly. "Though I think he has other reasons for returning to the school as well."

"Besides, it's a ripe recruitment field," Rodolphus added.

"Shh!" Narcissa again tried to hush the others. "Honestly, this conversation is best left elsewhere. Besides, you three may be done with school, but I still have a couple years."

"Don't worry, my dear. I'll be waiting for you," Lucius said. He was barely audible behind the closed doors.

"Honestly! You two need to get a room!" And before Sirius and James could move, Bella threw open the compartment door. When she saw them, a stunned look crossed her face then quickly melted into her usual sneer. "Well, well. What do we have here?"

"Don't get your knickers in a knot. I was just stretching my legs," Sirius answered, trying to cover for the fact that he and James had been listening in.

"Hmm," Bella chuckled lightly. Putting her arm around Sirius, she pulled him into the compartment.

Sirius looked at her arm and turned his head toward James just as Bella slammed the compartment door shut, making him jump slightly. He was trapped and surrounded.

James banged on the compartment door, but Bella just yelled over her shoulder, "Go away!" Then she turned her attention to her cousin. "You know, we were just having a conversation you might be interested in, Sirius."

"Oh?" Sirius searched the cabin for anything he could use to help him escape, though he took some comfort in the fact that the other occupants of the compartment looked uncomfortable and Narcissa was downright nervous.

"Bella," Rodolphus said in a warning tone.

"Sirius, you know how they tell us the future awaits, and for those ready to seize it, it can be whatever they make of it?"

Sirius was thoroughly confused by this conversation. He looked at his cousin suspiciously.

"Well take a good look around, cousin. This," she said, waving her arms to include everyone in the compartment, "_is_ the future. It's not just coming. It's here. And you might want to consider that when you go back to your little, insignificant friends."

"I think someone's had a bit too much butterbeer," Sirius said incredulously. His curiosity got the better of him, though, and he asked, "Who's 'the Dark Lord'?"

Everyone in the compartment shifted uncomfortably and Narcissa breathed in with a hiss.

Bella smiled, "Your future."

"Okay. I'm just gonna leave now. You have fun with your 'future,'" Sirius said using his fingers as quote marks for the word "future." And to his surprise, they let him leave.

As he stepped into the corridor and closed the door, James ran up to him, followed by Remus and Peter.

"Sirius?" James sounded thoroughly frightened.

"Nutters!" Sirius stated.

James made a face. "What?"

"I think she's gone completely mental. She just yammered on about 'the future' and being 'the future.'"

"And she didn't try to hex you or anything?" Peter asked.

"No," Sirius said, and chuckled in confusion. But a thought occurred to him, "Oo, but… We should head back to the compartment."

All four boys returned to their seats and Sirius made sure the corridor outside was clear as he closed their door.

"But, what do you think they were talking about?" Sirius looked at James questioningly.

James shrugged and shook his head. "No idea."

"Care to share," Remus interrupted.

James explained, "We overheard them talking about a 'Dark Lord' and being Dumbledore's enemy."

"What?" Remus asked aghast.

Sirius nodded, "Yeah. They said something about the Dark Lord applying for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position and using it to keep an eye on Dumbledore and recruiting students."

"Well, her exact words were 'keep your friends close…'" James clarified.

"'…and your enemies closer,'" Remus finished. He had that far off look, again, that said he was thinking hard.

The Marauders spent the next several hours trying to puzzle out what this might mean, but they couldn't figure it out. None of them had ever heard of a Dark Lord before and certainly didn't know Dumbledore to have any enemies - not that any of them would know, as Remus pointed out. They all agreed that Dumbledore was powerful enough to attract an enemy or two, especially since he was known for defeating the dark wizard Grindelwald. They also agreed that this could only mean something bad was coming.

As the train came to a stop, they all agreed to keep their ears open over the summer and find out what they could.

As Sirius stepped off the train, he was surprised to see his grandfather standing in the station. "Grandfather?" Sirius bowed respectfully out of habit, but then he looked around for his parents.

Pollux Black smiled at his grandson. "They're not coming." He put his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "You're coming to live with me this summer."

"But…" Sirius was stunned. "Is Regulus…?"

"No. Just you."

Sirius' head fell to his chest. He felt stupid for having gotten his hopes up.

"They didn't want you to potentially influence your brother." Sirius nodded, but didn't look up. Pollux bent closer to Sirius and said, "I think they are wrong." At that, Sirius' head popped up and he stared his grandfather in the eyes. "If your brother's beliefs are so easily swayed, then perhaps he doesn't believe them either. Come. We have a long journey ahead of us." As the two of them walked away, Sirius turned and waved to his friends.

James watched the exchange between grandfather and grandson. He thought perhaps Sirius might have a better summer than he's had in years. But something knotted in James' stomach, and he couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen to his friend.

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again for the reviews. No worries, the story extends well beyond first year. I'm finishing up seventh year as we speak, but I thought that small chunks of story would go over better than a behemoth that's over 100 chapters. So I'm stopping part one here and will pick up the story where this leaves off in The Way We Are Part Two - coming Thursday.

Thanks as usual to Mom and mei mei and my beloved Beta-er/sounding board/ and idea person - J.A. Carlton. Thanks so much.


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